


Gold Shines Upon the Deep

by KazzMcSass



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Adventure, Fighting Monsters, Gen, Monsters, Mystery, Pirates, Wittle Cwab
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-02-13 15:02:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21496204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KazzMcSass/pseuds/KazzMcSass
Summary: After the restoration of the Heart of Te Fiti, Moana and Maui go on a treasure hunt, only to be swept up in an unexpected adventure. A mysteriously crab-sized Tamatoa accompanies them on the adventure and is swept up in his own redemption when a war between humans and monsters breaks out like it did long ago.
Relationships: Maui & Moana Waialiki, Tamatoa & Moana Waialiki
Comments: 15
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter One: Grey Reef Shark

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on here, please spare my life.

The sea churned for a moment longer before returning to its usual peaceful rock. Moana panted heavily, heart pounding as she clutched the oar soaked in viscous, green goo. Just moments ago she had been fighting.

The monsters had seemingly come out of nowhere. The fins on their backs had breached the waves before the sound of scraping claws rang out and then they were on the boat. They were shaped like people, but their skin was an unnatural gray with shark fins, webbed fingers, and rows of teeth. It took all Moana had to protect the other people on the boat. Only children.

Moana turned to check on the others. The four of them had huddled by the mast of the boat, trembling and staring with wide eyes. They were covered in the blood-like goo, shivering in terror, but safe. The youngest was clinging to her older brother as she wailed. 

"I want to go home, go home now and see Mama," She cried 

"Hey, hey, It's okay, Babey," Moana cooed, though her own voice was shaky from the adrenalin buzzing through her system, "We'll go home now, it's okay."

Though the boat was larger than the solo ones, it wasn't hard to sail it back home on her own. The children were much too terrified to continue their lesson. It was only meant to be a simple exercise, teaching the young ones how to work together on the sea. They had never been interrupted by monsters before. Not this close to land.

Monsters seemed to become a normal part of Moana's life after her initial adventure with Maui. Since then she had alternated between grand adventures with the demigod and leading her people. Of course, out on the open seas with Maui monsters would attack, but he always took charge in those situations. She did help, though! Moana certainly wasn't one to take a back seat, but he was much more powerful and experienced than her.

With her people it was less common. Sometimes if they were caught in a storm out at sea they'd see the silhouette of giant creatures. Sometimes in the deepest areas of the ocean they would see shadows of creatures swimming far below them. Rarely did they have direct encounters and rarely did they ever get attacked. That's when Moana made a frightening realization.

She was not ready to fight them alone.

It wasn't long before they came back to the beach, the children quickly running inland to seek the comfort of their parents. Still somewhat shocked, Moana got to work grounding the boat further up the sand to escape the tide. She caught herself staring at the green goo. She could only imagine if it had been her own blood.

Moana's attention was brought away when she heard people rushing to the beach. Her father and two other adults, wide-eyed and looking for answers. Wordless, Moana took a few steps forward before she fell to her knees. She suddenly became aware of her body, her sore muscles and the stinging in her left calf. When she looked, she saw that one of the monsters must have bitten her.

"Moana," Her father called, worry evident in his voice.

"What happened?" One of the others asked.

The three of them came to her side, her father easily scooping her into his arms. They quickly started back towards their village.

"Monsters," Moana began, "We were just attacked out of nowhere. I did my best," She was then overtaken by emotion, or maybe blood loss. She couldn't speak and her head lulled back, leaning against her father's bicep and looking up at the sky where the clouds peacefully drifted along. Then she let her eyes slide closed and she fell asleep.

When Moana woke up again she was in the medicin hut. Her calf stung and her mouth was dry. She groggily sat up, resting a hand on her temple as her head throbbed. When she gradually moved the blanket away, she saw a bandaged wrapped around the wound. Moana let out a sigh and flopped back on her bed. How long was she going to be stuck in this boring hut?

Looking around her surroundings, Moana noticed a jug of water and some fruit left for her. Man, she was hungry. And thirsty. And hurt. Okay, one thing at a time, though. She forwent pouring herself a cup of water and drank straight from the jug before diving in on the fruit. 

Moana was half way through a papaya when there was shuffling outside the hut. She looked up to see one of the village medics walking in. He was around her age and though he was much younger than the medicine women of the village, he had an air about him that let others know he knew exactly what he was doing.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. He rummaged around a few supplies boxes before producing a corked bottle and roll of bandages.

"My head hurts," She answered through a mouth full of fruit, "And my leg."

"As to be expected. You're lucky it was only a bite and they didn't tear a chunk out of your leg," He chided, kneeling by her side.

"Well it's not like I chose to be fish food," She retorted, "I did the best I could, all things considered,"

The guy just rolled his eyes with a little smile. He carefully peeled away the bandage to reveal her bare leg. The wound looked pretty nasty, but had certainly been saved from infection. With a rag he cleaned and dressed the wound again. He gave her a dose of pain killing medicine before cleaning up to leave.

"Now you have to stay off your leg and get lots of rest," He insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Moana said.

"We're watching you," He said, giving her a stern look before exiting the hut.

Moana settled back on her bed, now alone. What was she going to do? The island people weren't avid fighters, they had no one to fight but the occasional feral animals from the wilderness. They certainly weren't going to know how to fight off giant monsters out at sea. Cleverness and wits wouldn't always save the day. The only person she knew to ask was probably miles and miles away. All she could do now was think and wait until she met up with Maui again.

So she slept.

That night was fitful. Every toss and turn brought her awake with the jab in her leg and then she was kept awake with worries for her people. Eventually the sun started to peak over the horizon, warming the air and brightening the sliver of sky seen through the doorway. She realized that the little pig, Pua, had found her way into the hut and curled up by her side.

The same medicine man came in to redress her wound and bring her breakfast. Moana wasn't long into rearranging her plate until a group of kids shuffled into the room. They all looked to her with wide, worried eyes, glancing at her leg which was covered by the blanket. 

"Hey Moana," One little girl said.

"Thank you for saving us yesterday," A boy said.

Moana gave them a wide smile, "I'm just glad you're all safe."

"Is your leg okay?" One asked.

"Yeah, they're just going to make me sit down for the next few days," Moana said with an exaggerated sigh, "I can't play games with you guys for a while, I guess."

"That's okay, we can just play when you get better," The youngest girl said, holding her older brother's hand.

"Well, why don't you all get to playing and let Moana eat her breakfast," A new, older voice said. Her father had entered the now crowded hut.

The kids obediently filed out of the hut as her father sat next to her, crossing his legs. "Not hungry?" He asked, noticing her suspiciously uneaten breakfast.

"Worried," Is all she said, resting her cheek in her palm as she poked at her breakfast some more.

"Well you won't feel any better on an empty stomach. Eat," He insisted, "You'll heal faster. The fast you heal the faster you can find a solution to your worries."

Her father left her after that and she managed to eat some. Moana ended up giving the rest to Pua. She then went back to thinking. She wasn't given much time, however, as her mom came to visit her next to suggesting that some fresh air would help clear her head.

Moana leaned on her mother, keeping her injured leg off the ground as she limped out of the hut. The two carefully made their way to the center of the village, not too far away. She gave tentative 'Hello's to everyone she passed, more focused on staying upright.

Eventually they reached a short stone wall where Moana sat. Behind her was a slope leading down to the sea and in front of her was the town central. The move had tired her, already not having much energy to speak of. Now that she sat, though, she could catch her breath. Then she just watched.

Kids ran around, playing a game. The fishermen lumbered towards the beach to set out on the ocean. Farmers worked in the gardens. Occasionally her people would ask her questions or give her well wishes. Plenty of people asked her what had happened to the point that telling the story started to become tiresome. The day seemed to drag on, but eventually the end came with no solution having come to mind. She was helped back to the medical hut and sent to sleep once more.

Two. Days. Passed with the same results.

Every idea Moana thought of, she couldn't develop. She didn't know much about fighting. Most people didn't know much about fighting. Most people didn't know much about monsters either. Tales of monsters and wars had been told from generation to generation, but greatly changed and exaggerated. Being secluded on their island had practically stripped them of their fight. She did not know what to do.

By now Moana's leg had healed enough to allow her to limp along if she took it slow and carefully. It was still sore, but much more manageable. It was another sleepless night when Moana made a decision.

Carefully getting to her feet, Moana walked out of the medicine hut and down towards the beach. She uneasily walked across the sand as she made it towards her destination. The cave which held the boats of her ancestors was no longer blocked off, but rarely ever visited by the village folk. It was dark and cool inside, but had become a welcoming place for her. It was where Moana began her journey to find herself and it was where she went to feel connected to her ancestors.

Moana sat on a smooth rock ledge a few feet away from the waterfall, where she always sat. Her feet dangled a few inches above the sand and she felt the mist of the splashing water fall over her. She stared into the rippling pool of water in thought before speaking aloud, her voice echoing off the stone walls.

"I don't know what to do," She confessed, "The monsters are coming closer to our home, and I cannot fight them. I can't protect us all on my own," She fell silent for a moment as she considered her next words, "I need help protecting us. I need to know how to fight them."

Moana sighed, lightly drumming her heels on the stone wall. She shot up straight when she heard a noise from the other side of the waterfall. Suddenly, a silhouette quickly approached from the other side and shot through the waterfall, rocketing right towards Moana. 

She ducked, covering her head with her arms as the thing flew over her. Feathers brushed across her forearms and the thing flapped its wings as it came to a halt behind her. Moana whipped her head around to see what joined her in to cave then let out a sigh of relief before giving the newcomer a glare.

"There's no need to try and decapitate me," She said.

Maui, who was now in his human form, stretched before sitting down on a rock a few feet behind her.

"There's no need to try and decapitate me," He mocked in a high pitched voice.

Moana glowered at him before turning around, carefully crossing her legs, "Are you here for a reason or just to torment me?"

"Tormenting is fun," Maui mused, "But there is a reason."

"And that is?" Moana asked, still giving him a nasty look.

"I have a new adventure," Maui said, his voice falling into a mysterious tone, "A crown, used to control monsters and grant immeasurable power," He said, displaying a rolled up piece of paper in front of him.

The paper showed a drawing of a crown composed of a thin band with coral-like branches protruding from the top with a large gem mounted on the front. Under it was a poem.

_ From the Realm of Monsters _

_ A hunter creeps _

_ In the Cove of Bones _

_ A power sleeps _

_ Hide you now _

_ And lose your life _

_ Fight you now _

_ And end the strife _

_ Find the cove below the waves _

_ Find the crown and see you saved _

_ Wake the martyr from its sleep _

_ Gold will shine upon the deep _

"Huh. Yeah. Makes sense. Sounds super real and not fake at all," Moana said.

"How will you know if you don't try?" Maui said, grinning with excitement, "Besides, it'll be fun. Imagine it. Just you and me in Lalotai, fighting monsters and hunting treasure. It'll be grand."

Moana considered it. It, admittedly, did sound pretty fun. But, "I'm not sure if I can. I was attacked by monsters a few days ago, and it still needs some time to heal," She brushed her fingers against the bandage on her leg, drawing attention to it, "I don't want to be too far from my people in case they need me."

Maui considered what she said for a moment. He stood, walking closer to Moana, "Can you walk?" He asked.

"Yeah, a little," She said.

"You'll definitely be healed up by the time we arrive in Lalotai," He said, offering a hand out to her.

Moana took it, carefully getting to her feet and leaning on her good leg.

"And how are you going to know how to fight monsters if you don't fight them?" He asked, "You'll get plenty of practice in and I can teach you a few things."

Moana nodded not quite convinced yet, "But what will they do while I'm gone?"

"They survived for generations without going out beyond the reef, I think they can go a few more weeks," Maui said with a reassuring smile, "They can protect themselves while you're gone and when you come back you can teach them how to kick some monster butt."

"Yeah," Moana mumbled, considering the suggestion before letting on a determined smile, "Yeah, you're right. I'll go."


	2. Chapter Two: Crab-Eating Frog

One day later and the two were out on the ocean. The medicine man urged her to take bandages and ointment to tend to her wound and told her to stay off her injured leg as much as possible. There was plenty of food and water stowed below deck of a small boat. It was built like the one Moana and Maui had first connected on. The original had been destroyed along with the other three replicas that followed. Their adventures sometimes got pretty out of hand.

"So how'd you find out about the crown anyways?" Moana asked some time into their first day of sailing.

"Oh, you know, just as a reward for some of my great deeds," Maui beamed.

"Mhmm," Moana hummed, unimpressed, "Do you think it is actually worth looking for, though?" 

"Well, yeah. If it wasn't I wouldn't bother looking. The person I got it from said it had been passed down for ages and that they just 'knew it was time' or something," He explained.

Moana leaned back to look up at the sky, "Weird."

The following days at sea went on without incident. They alternated between sailing the boat so the other could rest without having to stop. Maui shared stories of his many adventures and Moana shared her more simple stories from around the village. He absolutely loved gossip. 

She imagined it was nice to worry about something as simple as who was angry with who when his life was so intense all the time. He rarely had any time to rest now that he was needed across the Pacific Island to help the people and fighting off monsters. Something so small must have been as nice to him as hearing grand adventures was nice to her.

On the second day of their voyage Moana had the strength to stand reliably on her own, so Maui started giving her lessons. Along with the essentials, Moana brought two spears with sharp stone blades on the tip. They started simple. Basic stances so she wouldn't be knocked over so easily. Swings and lunges. Perfecting her reaction time and accuracy.

Moana would yelp and drop her spear whenever Maui smacked her knuckles with the wooden handle. Despite the dirty looks she gave him, he only insisted it would make her stronger.  _ Yeah, sure _ . They had to take it easy to keep Moana from reopening the wound, but she felt more prepared, even after such simple exercises.

The following days as she healed ramped up the intensity, however. His attacks became quicker and with less mercy. Moana's hands and legs developed a few bruises from some particularly rough contact. It only prompted her to work hard, though.

During breaks, Moana learned to anticipate his surprise attacks. She learned the way Maui moved for every attack, but then he started finding new ways to throw her off. Moana even managed to get a few good hits on him, though he barely seemed phased at all by it. She was a long way from being a master monster fighter like him, but she felt  _ ready  _ when they arrived on the shore of Lalotai.

Moana easily climbed the steep cliff that led to the entrance. Her leg barely bothered her now and she was ready to let out her built up anticipation. Maui simply shapeshifted into his giant hawk form and flew to the top of the mountain with Moana's spear in his claws. 

Maui opened the entrance, the face sliding apart to reveal the deep, downward tunnel. The faint purple light of Lalotai shown far below. Despite traveling there several times already, Moana never got used to the drop. Maui easily dove into the pit, showing off his endless bravery. Moana followed soon after, trying not to tense every muscle in her body.

Moana fell through the pit, then through the swirling vortex of water. Thankfully Maui caught her before she impacted the ground. He carefully set Moana on her feet before giving her a way-too-powerful slap on the back. He took in a deep breath of the salty Lalotai air then let out a wistful sigh.

"Here we are again," He said.

"Oh, how spectacular. A place full of poisonous plants and carnivorous monsters," Moana teased.

"Hey. If you want a piece of the treasure, you gotta stop the complaining," Maui said, "Now let's not waste time."

"What's the plan?" Moana asked.

She followed Maui to a cliff that overlooked a majority of the surrounding area. Bioluminescent plants spotted the rocky landscape, illuminating the pathways between them. Monsters shied away into the caves and crevasses, hiding from the visitors. Above them the ocean rippled and fish swam along without acknowledging the world below.

"We find a monster. We beat it up. Then we politely ask it where to find the Cove of Bones," Maui explained.

Maui knew right where to find them, apparently. After progressing further into Lalotai, he simply sauntered right up to a dark cave and banged his giant fish hook against the wall.

"Anyone home?" He shouted, his voice echoing for a few seconds before a scraping noise was heard. Maui took a few steps back to stand by Moana, "Get ready. Use your stance."

Moana complied, standing ready for the monster to emerge. She tightened her grip on the spear as the scratching approached and her heart raced when the monster appeared in the mouth of the cave.

It was a troglodyte. The creature looked like a human was crossed with a frog. Its eyes were large and bulging, jagged teeth projecting from its salivating lower jaw. It had reptilian skin and long claws. The monster crouched eyeing the two, taking in their weapons. It was then the monster made a decision and kept right towards Moana.

She froze.

This had happened before. When Maui and her were sailing they had been attacked by a one eyed monster. It launched boulders at their boat from the island it inhabited. They had evaded most of the attacks, but after the mast was snapped they were stuck in place. She had froze when another boulder had launched towards the still boat, but she couldn't move. Maui had pulled her out of harm's way before she was crushed. The boat was smashed to pieces, though.

"Block!" Maui commanded, bringing Moana back to reality.

Moana thrust the spear forward, both hands gripping the wood as she held it out in front of her horizontally. The monster croaked as the spear caught its chest, forcing the wind out of its lungs. It recoiling before lunging forward again. Moana dodged to the side, avoiding the long claws and jabbing her spear forward. Her nerves were so shot, though, that she only scraped the tough skin along its outer thigh.

The troglodyte let out a shriek and shrank away from her for a moment. It then restrategized. The monster steadily advanced on her, slashing its long claws at her. She used her spear to intercept the attacks, backing away. "Watch where you're going," Maui warned

Moana quickly glanced behind her, seeing she was backing up to a stone wall. With one deflection, she whipped the sharp end of her spear down, leaving a cut across the monster's face. Enraged, it leapt forward at her again, but Moana was prepared. 

She ducked to the side, letting the monster bash its skull into the rocky wall. It whimpered and did not get up this time. The monster cowered next to the wall, rubbing its claws over where it had been hurt.

"Great start," Maui praised before advancing on the monster. He pressed his hook against the monsters neck, trapping it against the rocky wall. It squirmed and scraped its claws against the hook, but Maui did not yield, "Alright, Frog Face. Speak up. Where is the Cove of Bones?"

The monster shrieked.

"Not talkin' huh?" Maui asked.

The monster growled and snapped its teeth menacingly.

"I guess you need some more convincing, then," Maui said. 

He pulled back his hook, ready to thrash the monster.

"Wait!" Moana called out. She rushed forward and clung onto his arm. She couldn't physically restrain him, but he did pause, looking down at her with a raised brow, "Leave it alone," She said, putting on a calm exterior.

Maui turned to her, lowering his hook but giving her an incredulous look, "What? This guy just tried to kill you and you want me to be nice?"

"Its not attacking anymore," Moana insisted.

"So? It's a monster. It's just going to lick its wounds then attack some other thing more helpless than you," Maui said, tension raising in his voice.

Moana had to take a moment to gather her thoughts before carefully responding, "You provoked it and it doesn't want to fight anymore. Leave it be. It can't even speak to give us the information we need."

Maui's jaw jutted out with frustration and he looked back at the monster. But it was already gone, having retreated back into the cave. Maui rolled his eyes dramatically before sizing up Moana with a furrowed brow.

"Why do you care so much?" Maui asked.

Moana opened her mouth to respond, but didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. She grimaced before finding her words again, "I don't know. But it does not want to fight. It seems cruel to keep fighting."

"Well, it's a monster so being cruel doesn't matter. All they live to do is destroy towns, eat everything, and attack people," Maui said.

"No," Moana said, standing up straight with determination on her face, "Promise me you won't attack any monsters unless they attack you first."

Maui threw his head back to let out a dramatic, bellowing sigh. 

"Promise!" Moana said, punching him in the chest to little effect.

"They're just monsters!" Maui said.

"Then why do you care? It just means you only attack the monsters that come to you. If anything, it will be easier that way. You're still fighting monsters either way," Moana said.

"Moana" He complained, drawing her name out.

"Maui" She said back, mocking him. 

They then took a minute to glare at each other. Maui thinking over the proposal and Moana showing that she really meant what she said.

"Fine, then," Maui said, crossing his arms, "I promise I won't fight a monster unless it tries to attack me first."

Moana smiled, a bit of smugness evident in her expression, "Thank you."

"Let's just get going and stop wasting time," Maui said.

It took some time, but soon Maui was over it and back to his usually cheerful and bantering self. They still encountered plenty of aggressive monsters that attacked them without question. Maui coached her through the fights, sometimes stepping in if the monster was too strong or she made a bad move. By the end of the day Moana was tired and they were no closer to finding the treasure.

All of the monsters encountered seem to be unable to speak or not mentally sentient enough to do so. Maui would question them relentlessly, only for them to make unintelligible sounds. He'd then let them go and start hunting for a new monster to question. Maybe it wasn't the most efficient way of finding clues, but it was the only option they had. Maps of Lalotai were unheard of and they didn't exactly have any monster friends they could visit and ask.

So it was the long and arduous way.

Tomorrow, that is. Moana was tired and a bit roughed up from all the fighting and the sea-filtered sunlight was starting to wane. Even if the bioluminescent landscape could provide them with enough light to navigate, it was time to get some sleep. Pushing herself now wouldn't gain her anything.

Back in the mortal realm the two made their way to the boat. Stars were starting to twinkle across the sky, revealing the familiar constellations they had both memorized. Moana sat on the edge of the boat with a sigh, letting her sore feet soak in the water.

"You did good today," Maui said, cracking a hole in a coconut with his hook.

"I feel like I've been trampled by a hoard of pigs," Moana complained, getting a laugh from Maui.

She looked down at the calm waves lapping against the boat with the night sky reflecting on its surface. The ocean swirled around her feet before a pillar extended from the surface like an arm. It extended upwards before the water brushed against her shoulder where a patch of blood had dried.

Moana laughed before rubbing the blood away, "Don't worry, it's not mine. I'm fine," she said. The stream then retracted back into the ocean, apparently satisfied with the answer

Moana turned back towards the middle of the boat and reached into the compartment where all the supplies were kept. She withdrew a banana as well as the medical supplies so she could address her monster bite. It was almost completely healed by now, though it appeared a scar would definitely be left behind. When Moana finished she looked up to see Maui giving her a funny look.

"What?" She asked.

"You've just got me worried," He said.

"About what? I thought you said I did good fighting," Moana said, a bit defensive.

"No, not about that," He said. Maui took a moment to think before continuing, "I don't want you to think that just because a monster doesn't attack you right away that it can be trusted."

Moana furrowed her brow, "I don't think that."

"You have to stay cautious," Maui insisted, "They're tricky. You can't trust them. Ever."

"I won't," Moana said, her voice raising an octave.

"Monsters and humans cannot be friends" Maui said.

Moana just nodded. It was clearly something he cared about. She wondered what experience had made him so sensitive about the topic. She didn't even disagree with him. The monsters were, well,  _ monsters _ . 

After Moana had her dinner she went to sleep pretty much right away. Maui wasn't comfortable sleeping so close to Lalotai so he kept watch through the night. As a demi god he didn't have to sleep, anyways. The waves rocked Moana into a deep sleep, recharging from her long day in Lalotai.

When Moana awoke, the wooden planks below her were warm. She blinked, eyes adjusting to the rising sun. Moana sat up and squinted around the boat before realizing Maui was on the beach. He was busy doing some sort of training exercise, shifting between his different animal forms and dodging imagined enemies. Moana watched Maui for a moment before getting up to join him.

After warming up and preparing for the day the pair were back in Lalotai again.

They traveled a bit further into Lalotai this time. The monsters were bigger here. One monster they fought was like a giant lizard with large horns. Another was a bird with a long neck and sharp beak that pierced the ground. There were a few eight eyed bats as well, though they mostly flew away from them, shrieking wildly. Moana never knew there were so many different kinds of monsters to be seen.

Hours passed, fighting monster after monster. Eventually, though, she was overwhelmed in one battle. A giant tortoise with thick scales and a rock-hard shell was a little more than she was able to handle yet. Despite it being a bit slow with its movements, each swipe was powerful and its body too tough to pierce.

"Find its weak spot!" Maui advised from the sidelines. 

"I don't think it has one!" Moana yelped, barely evading the swing of it's long tail. She then tripped and dropped her spear.

"The face. Blind it in the eyes. If you go for the kill you can stab its brain through the roof of its mouth," Maui said.

Moana grimaced, now determined to get the upper hand. She ran around the monster to the face, picking up her dropped spear. As she tried to reach its face she ran into an issue. The monster raised its head up high and steadily turned away from her, making its face unreachable.

_ It had understood what Maui said. _

Moana was too determined to give up now. She had to restrategize. Glancing around quickly, she familiarized herself with the environment once again. There were no boulders or ledges she could climb quickly to have a better reach. She could try to climb up the monster's back, but the spikes gave her pause. Maybe she could-

"Look out!"

Maui's shout rang out right before the snap. The tortoise had swung its clawed hand forward to swipe at her, but Maui yanked her back in time to save her from being sliced in half. Her spear, however, was now in two pieces.

"Alright, that's enough," Maui said. 

He marched forward and took a hold of the side of the tortoise's side and, with a heave, he rolled the beast onto its back. It crushed plants and rocks under its weight, momentarily helpless. Maui climbed onto its belly and pointed his hook at its face.

"Talk. Tell me where the Cove of Bones is," Maui commanded.

The tortoise monster hissed, but Moana heard words in the sound, "I do not know."

"Do you know anything about it?" Maui asked, keeping a stern voice.

"No one knows where it is. It is guarded by Sefina," It hissed, "No human could ever find it and survive."

"And where can I find Sefina?" Maui asked, impatient.

"To the east," It hissed, pointing a claw towards a pathway, "That is all I know."

"Thank you," Maui said simply, hopping off the tortoise and strolling passed Moana.

She followed him, but glanced over her shoulder to look at the monster. It rocked itself from side to side a few times before it was flipped back onto its belly and it crawled away. Moana was then startled when she ran into Maui who had stopped in place.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Look down there," Maui said with a nod of his head.

She followed his line of sight to see a place she never wanted to think of again. A cluster of giant seashells along the side of a cliff. Tamatoa's home.

"You're not thinking of going down there, right?" Moana asked.

"I surely am," Maui said, starting to climb down the steep path.

"No. No, I won't let you. That's way too dangerous," Moana said. She tried to hold him back, but he easily ignored her efforts.

"Look, the only reason he  _ almost _ won last time was because I was out of practice. I'm much more prepared now. I can do this," Maui said.

Moana could tell his pride was wounded by the perceived loss of their last encounter. He had been batted around by Tamatoa pretty badly. The beast was an entirely different caliber of monster from the ones they had been fighting for the previous two days.

"I'm not ready. My spear broke, you'd be on your own," She said.

Maui gave her an unimpressed glance, "I've fought him before and won. Ripped off his leg, remember? If things get out of hand you can just pull the same trick you did last time. He's not that clever."

It did little to reassure her, but now they were approaching the entrance and Maui wasn't slowing down. The inviting light that brought her in last time was absent and the surrounding area in general looked less presentable. The previously pruned plants were wild and overgrown or trampled. There seemed to have been a small landslide which was yet to be neatened up. It just looked like a mess. Even Maui seemed a bit thrown off.

The biggest surprise came when they looked inside.

It was bare. Completely stripped. There was not a shiny, glittery, or sparkly treasure to be seen. Only glowing plants and coral littered the sandy floor inside.

"What the heck?" Maui said.

His voice echoed in the empty shell. They cautiously walked in, looking over every corner in search for the giant crab monster. There was nothing.

"Maybe he got so embarrassed you tricked him that he left to find somewhere else to stay," Maui said with a laugh.

"I guess. I don't really know him," Moana said.

She crouched down by a cluster of leafy plants that seemed  _ wrong _ for some reason. While she wasn't familiar with the flora of Lalotai, she could tell it looked a bit funny. Then she realized the jagged edges were there because something had eaten them. Something much smaller than the average monster, judging by some of the visible teeth marks.

She then noticed a single gold coin that had been unnoticed by whoever cleaned out the place. With a little smile she picked it up. Then she heard it. Moana stood up straight to look around in search of what had caused that scratching sound. Maui had heard it too, apparently, as he was staring straight at a beaten up old treasure chest with its lid closed.

They both approached the chest, examining it. They looked at each other before Moana kneeled and placed her hands on the lid. She paused a moment, taking in a breath before flipping the lid open.

Inside was a crab. A little purple crab holding a gold coin with a skull and crossbones relief stamped on it. The tiny monster squinted and looked up at her with a mix of irritation and uncertainty, not saying a thing.

Moana let out a soft gasp, "I didn't know Tamatoa had a baby."

  
"That's not a baby," Maui said. She looked up at him to see a grin spreading across his face, "That  _ is  _ Tamatoa."


	3. Chapter Three: Seagull

Maui broke out into a debilitating bout of laughter while Moana just stared at the tiny creature. Irritated, Tamatoa scuttled around the chest, but was unable to climb the walls. Other than the drastic change in size, one other thing was evident. He was no longer covered in gold and treasures. His shell was completely dull.

"How long have you been trapped in there?" Moana asked, instinctively reaching in to free the poor creature. He shrank away from her, holding the coin close to himself and snapping a claw threateningly, but she still picked him up without fear. He was just small enough to fit in both of her hands, a drastic different from when she could easily be held in a single one of his claws.

Maui had collapsed to the floor in his laughing fit, but abruptly stopped when he saw her holding the crab, "Hey, I wouldn't do that," He said, suddenly serious.

"What? He can't be dangerous at this size," Moana said, holding Tamatoa out to him to show off just how small he was.

"Don't underestimate him," Maui warned, standing and pointing an accusatory finger. Tamatoa instantly snapped a claw at the finger, prompting Maui to yank it out of his range. "See?!"

"You were tormenting him," Moana said, pointedly.

"He did the same to me, to you too! Why are you so eager to forgive him?" Maui demanded.

He had a point. Moana looked down at Tamatoa, a bit uncertain. He had been pretty quick to eat her upon their first encounter, "You have a point," She said.

"Hey! Hey! It's you who came walking into my home," Tamatoa interjecting, pointing an accusatory claw at her, "You intruded on my territory trying to  _ steal _ from me. Humans aren't supposed to be down here, anyways. That's why we stay here and you up there. To get away from you stinky, annoying humans,"

"But then you attacked me and tried to kill me too," Maui said, looming over the tiny crab.

"You tried to attack me first!" Tomatoa said with undaunted exasperation, "I was only defending myself. You did the same thing as your human friend. Home intrusion and thievery are crimes, you know, as well as attempted assault. Maybe I got a bit carried away, but it pales in comparison to ripping off an entire body part" He ended with wiggling his disabled leg pointedly. 

Maui growled and snatched the crab from Moana's hands before she could stop him. He held Tamatoa by the back of his shell, leaving the crab unable to fight back. Maui let out a mischievous laugh and began to wave the crab around in the air, making him cling to his fingers.

"Hey!" Moana shouted, stomping closer to him, though Maui easily held Tomatoa high above her arms could reach. She jumped in hopes of rescuing the crab, but Maui yanked it out of her reach before dangling him above her head. Eventually she took a step back, placing her hands firmly on her hips, "What did you promise?"

"Huh?" Maui said.

"What. Did you promise?" She repeated slowly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Maui said, starting to lose interest as he tossed Tamatoa in the air, catching him in one hand.

"You said you wouldn't attack a monster until they attacked you," Moana said 

"He did attack me first! Or did you not remember that whole thing?" Maui said.

"That was months ago. This time he didn't do anything," Moana said.

"He snapped at me," Maui said.

"You pointed at him," Moana said.

The two glared at each other for a moment.

"Okay. I will not kill him," He said, prompting Moana to let out a sigh of relief, "But I still want to get my pay back."

Maui then held Tamatoa above his head and twirled around, laughing hysterically. Moana let out another sigh. But she allowed it. Tamatoa did deserve punishment for what he had done.

Moana took a moment to look around the room as Maui danced around, waving around the crab and periodically tossing him in the air. The room was a mess from their encounter, seeming to not have been touched up at all. But not just that, it was completely devoid of any of Tamatoa's treasured treasures. It was dull, picked clean, nothing of value left. Not even a single glittering seashell. Her attention was brought back to Maui when he spoke.

"Hey, isn't that-" Maui began.

"It's mine!" Tamatoa shouted in a voice not unlike a petulant child.

A fight then ensued over the coin Tamatoa held. He gave up a good fight, but eventually Maui managed to pry the coin out of his claws. Satisfied, Maui held the coin up triumphantly.

"No! Give that back!" Tamatoa cried, reaching his tiny arms above his head.

"Fat chance, Little Guy!" Maui jeered.

"Please," He begged, "That's all I have left!" 

It was the most pathetic Moana had ever heard. It even gave Maui a moment of pause. The desperation made a twinge of pain strike in her heart, but Maui took not so much pity. He simply dropped Tamatoa onto the sandy floor, causing the monster to wince.

Dejected, Tamatoa's antennae drooped. Moana took a step towards him, but Tamatoa quickly scuttled away from her, hiding among a cluster of rocks. His shell easily blended in with the other rocks, making it hard for Moana to spot him when she crouched by the rocks.

"Hey, don't hide," Moana coaxed, lowering her voice.

"Just leave him," Maui said, "He's pathetic, got what he deserved."

Moana continued, undeterred, "You don't have to hide from me. I'm not going to hurt you like him."

Nothing.

"Come on. Come back to the surface with us. If you stay here you might be killed. I'll be sure Maui doesn't hurt you."

Still nothing. Moana huffed, leaning over to try and get a closer look. He blended in very well. Then she had an idea. Moana waved the shiny coin she found over the rock cluster temptingly.

"Heeeey, look what I have. Just for you!" Moana called.

She saw a little eye peek open at her. Then two antenna perked up. Tomatoa slowly revealed himself, leaning closer to get a good look at the coin.

"Yes, for you," Moana said, giving him a genuine smile. She laid her hand flat as she offered the coin to him. "A gift." 

Tamatoa crawled a bit closer before quickly snatching the coin. His eyes practically sparkled as he admired it. Then he came back to reality, giving Moana skeptical look.

"Fine, then. I suppose I will allow you to take me with you," Tamatoa said, dripping with self importance, "Not like I have much left here for me."

"Where'd all your stuff go, anyways?" Maui suddenly butted in, standing over Moana and Tamatoa.

"Well, thanks to you, I was left vulnerable some time ago. I tried to get back to my feet, but, you know, that's just a bit hard being a crab and all." Tamatoa then began to snap his claws with emphasis as he spoke, "The other monsters came for me. I was able to keep them from eating me alive, but they stripped me of my entire worth," Tamatoa said, waving his claws dramatically, "They took every last thing from me and trapped me in the chest for the past week days."

"But why are you so small now?" Moana asked.

Maui answered this time, "The less treasure he has the small he is."

Moana noticed a change in Tamatoa at that. He grimaced, shrinking into his shell a bit, and holding his coins just a bit tighter 

"Well, no matter. That just makes it easier to take him along with us," Moana said.

"I didn't agree to take him along," Maui said.

"You don't get a say," Moana said sharply. She scooped Tamatoa back up in her hands and squared herself up to Maui, "I have been chosen by the ocean. I dedicate my life to protecting the ocean, and that includes its creatures. Tamatoa will be going with us whether you like it or not."

Maui glowered down at the two while Moana gave him a stern look back, unaware of the smug grin on Tomatoa's face.

The group exited Lalotai without much problem. Moana held tight to Tamatoa as they arched through the air. Maui, thankfully, shapeshifted into his giant hawk form to catch Moana before she collided with the rocky beach. His talons clasped around her shoulders, jerking her upwards with one powerful flap of his wings. The force, however, made Moana lose her grip on Tamatoa, dropping the little crab out of her hands. 

Maui lowered Moana to the ground carefully, but burst into laughter again when he saw the fate of Tamatoa. While he had survived the fall, he had been, yet again, turned on his back. His legs waved about in the air as he tried to rock himself back over. Though she felt bad for him, Moana couldn't help but laugh a little as well. She stooped to flip him back over, but he snipped at her fingers, agitated.

"I can do it myself, this time, thank you very much." Tomatoa jeered.

Moana just stood up straight and planted her hands on her hips. He was right, though, as he used the coin clasped in his claw to help push himself back right side up. There was still no need to be rude, though.

"What?" Maui shouted, his voice carrying across the beach and distress evident in his tone.

He had already made it back to the boat, apparently. Moana picked Tamatoa back up, hopping down the rocky beach to meet back up with Maui. She stood on a rocky ledge above him but still noticed what had made him upset.

Maui was busy swatting sea birds away from the boat. They squawked and pecked at him but with one ferocious roar they were frightened off. Half eaten food was strewn across the deck of the boat and some food had been dropped into the sea, ruined.

"What happened?" Moana said, distressed as she descended the last few feet to the shore.

"They got into the food," Maui said glumly.

"Someone must have forgotten to close the hatch," Moana said, giving Maui a pointed look.

He sheepishly looked away as he took stock of their remaining food, "You have enough to last you until we get to the closest village if we fish a few times along the way," He said.

"None for you?" She asked. As a demi god he didn't need food either, but it still felt wrong to prevent him from doing so.

"No. You need it more than me," Maui said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Moana set Tamatoa down on the deck of the boat then prepared to set sail. The treasure hunt would have to wait. It wasn't long before they were out to sea.

Maui took charge for a while, steering them towards the nearest island to restock on food and water for Moana. Now that Moana's people had started voyaging across the oceans again, a map had started to be created. It was tentative, but still useful. Maui had been a great help, too. Even after being trapped on that island for a thousand years he had remembered much of the islands in the region. 

Moana rummaged through the compartment in the hull of the canoe, taking stock of the remaining supplies. Some fruits and dried meat as well as her remaining water. She was halfway through eating a bruised banana when her eyes settled on Tamatoa. He had sulked to the front of the boat, looking out over the ocean.

"Tamatoa," She called. His antennae twitched, but he didn't turn or acknowledge her, "Are you hungry?"

"I can go two weeks without," He said nonchalantly.

"But are you hungry? You must've been trapped in the chest for a while," She said.

He didn't respond.

"Well if you get hungry you can have the rest of this banana," She said, leaning closer to set the rest of her banana down behind him. Again, he didn't react, but she just left him be. 

Moana just laid down on the boat, then. Every now and then she'd doze off under the warm sunlight and calming rock of the waves. While awake she let her thoughts wander about and held small talk with Maui. She tried to talk with Tamatoa too, but he remained silent. She wasn't too offended, but she did wonder for how long he'd be sulking. Eventually Maui and Moana switched places so he could sleep.

Moana adjusted the sail, measured the emerging stars, and tested the water before taking a hold of the oar. She allowed herself a peek at the other end of the boat to see a welcoming sight. Tamatoa still perched at the end looking into the horizon, his bioluminescent markings starting to glow, but the banana had been eaten. There were also a few bites taken out of the banana peel. Kinda gross, but she supposed she couldn't really judge the tastes of a crab.

Moana allowed herself a smile before she focused back on the stars again. It was quiet now without Maui to talk to so she tried to fill the quiet herself. She attempted to start up a conversation with Tamatoa, again but he remained stubbornly quiet. So she decided to sing instead. She sang old songs traditional to her people. She sang songs about old legends and their ancestors. When she ran out of songs, though, she started to make up poems and rhymes.

"Then Tamatoa tried to eat me whole. And Maui got his hook Tama stole. But Maui had lost his groove. And Tamatoa then got on the move. Maui couldn't battle the scourge. And," Then she trailed off, "What rhymes with scourge?" She mused aloud, letting the question hang in the air as she thought.

Eventually there came an answer from the other end of the boat, "Purge."

Moana looked over at Tamatoa. He still looked away from her, his markings shining bright now, "Surge," She added.

"Urge," He said without missing a beat.

"Murge," Moana said.

"Emerge," Tamatoa said.

Moana didn't have another word after that. She tilted her head as she stared down the back of Tomatoa's shell, "So you like word games?" She asked.

Nothing.

"When I was a kid we made these poems about ourselves that started with 'My name is" and then out name. But it was hard for me. Nothing rhymes with Moana. Not much rhymes with Maui either, except for 'owie', maybe, but that's not really a word." She said.

Moana swore she heard a stifled laugh from the other side. But she wasn't sure. It could have just been the sound of the waves slapping against the boat.

"Tamatoa doesn't rhyme with much either. Maybe," She drawled for a moment, "Gotta-go-a."

There it was again. She was sure it was laughter this time. It wasn't even that good of a joke.

"Do you know any good jokes?" Moana asked. As expected he said nothing, but he shifted and turned his head to the side just slightly, "I've got one that everyone likes. Here it goes: Why did the chicken cross the road?"

She left the question unanswered for a long minute.  _ Waiting.  _ Then she got what she wanted.

"Why?" Tamatoa asked.

"To get to the other side,"Moana answered. 

Tamatoa snickered, letting out a snorting little laugh. 

"Here's another one. Why was six afraid of seven?" Moana said.

"Why?" Tamatoa asked again, this time much more eager. He even turned his head to look right at her this time.

"Because seven eight nine," She said.

It took him a moment, but once Tamatoa understood he burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he slapped his claw against the boat.

"One more, one more. What did one wall say to the other?" Moana asked.

"Why?" Tamatoa said, fully turning towards Moana and even taking a few steps closer to her, fully engaged.

"Meet you at the corner," She said.

And there he went again. Laughing just a bit too hard at the simple joke. Wow. He  _ really  _ liked jokes.

Moana then taught Tamatoa the novelty of the knock-knock joke. It took him a few times to catch on but soon enough they were flying through jokes. Tamatoa even tried his hand (claw?) at making up a joke. He still wasn't that good at it, though.

"What do you get when you cross a seagull and a barnacle," Tamatoa asked.

"Uh- I don't know, what?" Moana asked.

"That would never happen!" Tamatoa then laughed obnoxiously loud at his poor joke.

Despite that, Moana smiled and laughed politely. She was finally able to bring Tamatoa out of his shell, so to speak, and didn't want to scare him off. After a few more jokes she tentatively drove them towards a conversation.

"So do you exchange jokes with your friends often?" She asked.

"You don't make friends in Lalotai," Tamatoa said sharply, "Monsters don't need friends."

"It must get lonely, then," She said.

Tamatoa just shrugged.

"Well you won't get lonely up here. There's plenty of people around to be friends with," Moana said, giving him a shining smile.

Tamatoa just looked away from her, becoming uninterested. 

"Well, I need to get some sleep," She announced. 

Moana stood and Tamatoa swiftly scurried back to the other side of the boat. She woke Maui up and they switched positions again. They were well into the night, now, and Moana fell asleep without incident.

From then on it was quiet. Maui steered the boat and purposefully ignored Tamatoa, who had perched himself at the tip of the boat. They refused to speak to each other or even acknowledge the other. It wasn't a problem, as when the sun began to rise Tamatoa went to sleep as well.


	4. Chapter Four: Coral Reef Snake

The sun rose above the horizon, sending its warm rays over them. The chilly night breeze had become cool and refreshing. But it wasn't long before fog started to roll in as well. First just light clouds, but soon it became thick. Eventually Maui decided to pull down the sail and wait for the fog to clear, as it was practically impossible to see through.

Eventually Moana woke up. As she sat up on the boat she looked around, confused, "Where are we?" She asked

"Can't say for sure on account of, you know, the fog," Maui said.

Moana stuck her tongue out at him before looking around for Tamatoa, spotting him in his usual place, "Is he okay?" She asked.

"Sleeping," Is all Maui said, "Why do you care so much about him?"

Moana shrugged, "I told you, I have to protect the ocean and its creatures."

Maui rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but I don't see you picking up every crab you see on the shore,"

"Yes, but not every crab can think and talk," Moana said.

"But he's a jerk," Maui insisted, a bit too intensely, "He's always been a jerk and he always will be. Why do you think you can change that?"

Moana pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them as she looked over at Tamatoa for a moment, "I think he's lonely."

And she really did. Even if he had been horrible to her and Maui in the past, she had sympathy for him. Maybe she could turn him around. He had lost everything - his power and belongings - and was practically harmless now.

"Of course he is. Monsters don't make friends. Monsters can't be friends with monsters and people can't be friends with monsters. If they could, Tamatoa probably would have made one, yeah? He's over a thousand years old. If he could be a good guy and make friends he would have by now."

Moana didn't answer to that. Mostly because she thought Maui was right. Tamatoa did have some big personality issues. He was rude, selfish, self-centered. But she still held hope that  _ maybe  _ she could do something for him. Even if he wouldn't appreciate it.

"He could be helpful. He's lived in Lalotai for a while, I'm guessing, so he might know something. He likes shiny things so much, that crown would seem right up his alley. Even if he doesn't, maybe he could know Sephina. Don't give up on him yet," Moana said.

Maui just gave a noncommittal nod, though it was clear he didn't really seem to care. Sulking just like Tamatoa. She was on a boat with two mature adults, it seemed.

Moana had breakfast before walking around the boat, agitated. When was this fog going to clear? She decided to climb up the mast and get a look around. But even up there she saw nothing. With an annoyed sigh, she began to climb back down but was stopped cold when she heard a noise echo over the still ocean water. 

The deep, guttural blaring of a horn then a loud splash. Moana and Maui shared an uncomfortable look. Then the rushing of giant a wave was heard in the fog before it crashed into the boat. The wave was nearly as tall as the boat and rocked them furiously. Moana lost her grip on the mast and fell back on Maui, but he easily caught her in one arm and set her down on the deck.

"We can't keep waiting any more," Maui announced, letting down the sail and positioning himself at the back of the boat with the oar.

"Where? You can't even see where you're going," Moana chastised. 

"We're going in the opposite direction of that thing," Maui said.

The boat was jolted again with another enormous wave and Moana remembered, with dread, that Tamatoa was still on the tip of the boat. She sighed with relief when she saw the crab looking around blearily.

"Time to get up," She proclaimed, scooping him up in one arm.

"Let me down," Tamatoa demanded in a tired voice.

"Not now," Moana said, trailing off as she stared into the fog. Smaller waves continued to rock the boat, as if a giant ripple had come out to meet them. 

Maui continued to steer the boat, deep in concentration, and Moana turned to look at where they were going. It was just fog. So thick she could barely see past the front of the boat. Moana was brought out of her concentration, though, when Tamatoa started to squirm in her grip.

"Oh- sorry," She said, relaxing her grip.

"What are you running from?" Tamatoa asked. He craned his neck around Moana's arm to peer into the fog, "Oh, nevermind, I see."

Maui and Moana both looked back at the same time. Behind them was the silhouette of a giant monster. A serpent rose high out of the water, looming over them in the fog. Shocked, Maui let the boat drift sideways as they stared up at the monster. Everything was still for a moment.

Then the horn sounded again, much closer. It was as if it came from the monster itself, though it was still as a statue. The horn blared twice and the serpent writhed, sending waves over their boat again, making the boat struggle to stay upright. The serpent then let out an ear-piercing screech then dove right down towards them.

Maui jerked the oar to the side, causing the boat to veer out of the way sharply. Moana threw out her arms as she tried to keep her balance. The tidal wave caused by the monster diving into the ocean surged up, but Maui was able to ride the wave, putting distance between them. The force, however, finally made Moana to fall on her butt, dropping Tamatoa.

As Moana scrambled back to her feet, Tamatoa, dazed, tried to scurry out of her way. Moana had to quickly pick him up before he stepped over the side of the boat, setting him down in the middle for safety. Moana then climbed up the mast again to get a better look at the monster, holding on tight.

The serpent's long body arched over the ocean as it dove further into the ocean, disappearing into the depths. It took a while for the end of its tail to flick over the surface and descend into the ocean as well. Moana looked all around in search of the serpent but saw nothing. Maui's brow was furrowed in concentration, readily focused on carrying them out of danger.

Moana let out a yelp as one, large yellow, blue tipped fin breached the ocean surface. It was at least as large as the boat and Moana saw the brilliant blue and blacj scales of the serpent under the water. The serpent easily kept up with them before it suddenly sunk under the waves again.

Moana gripped on the mast tight, anticipating the next attack. Then the serpent's head emerged from the water ahead of the boat, obscured by the thick fog. Maui tried to steer them out of the way but found it impossible as the boat was elevated out of the water on the arching back of the serpent. 

"Get down!" Maui called as the serpent opened its mouth.

Moana dropped to the deck of the boat just in time as a jet of water shot out of the mouth and snapped the mast clean in half. Moana ducked, covering her head with her hands as the mast snapped and groaned. Maui caught the mast as it fell before launching it at the monster like a spear. 

It didn't even phase the monster at all. 

The serpent began to move again, raising the boat upwards towards its face. Moana crouched, looking to Maui for what to do. But he had no answer. Instead, he grabbed his hook to shapeshift into a giant hawk before taking off, quickly disappearing into a silhouette in the fog.

"Thanks a lot!" Tamatoa called after him.

"He's going to take care of it," Moana whispered, eyes trying to keep track of him.

There was a moment of silence before a screech ripped through the air again. The serpent began to move, thrashing about. The boat rocked as the serpent shifted before the boat tilted too far to one side and plummeted towards the ocean below. Swiftly, Moana grabbed Tamatoa, holding him close to her chest as she pushed off of the boat, one arm in front of her as she dove into the ocean.

Above, Maui was battling the monster head on. He wove between the snapping teeth and whipping whiskers. He shifted back into his human form to slash his hook at the beast, but that only seemed to enrage it more. He did, however, manage to tear off one massive scale.

Moana swiftly swam out of the way as the boat fell in after her. She gasped upon reaching the air above, holding Tamatoa above her head as she searched around. She was caught off guard as the boat rose back up to the surface under her. The boat was upside down and she tried to stand as the boat came up under her feet but she slipped.

"Ow- augh- I'm stuck!" She called out.

Her knee had become wedged in the first criss-crossed bar of wood and the center canoe with her other leg at an awkward angle. Moana looked around for help, but Maui was still fighting the monster. She looked at Tamatoa but he had already scrambled onto a broken piece of wood and was paddling himself away. She yanked herself upwards, but there was no yield. She wiggled her knee around, but still nothing. Moana tried to push the bar of wood away but it was too strong for her.

Moana jumped as one massive monster scale plunged into the ocean beside the boat, sending a wave of water over her, "Tamatoa," She called out, pleading.

He paused a moment to look back at her. But he didn't move. They held eye contact, Moana desperate for some sort of help, but he did not come to her. Just stared.

Moana was jolted back into action when a rain of blood splattered across the waves around her. She looked around her for ideas. There, a clay pot was resting between another cross section of the wooden poles. She leaned as far as she could, just barely reaching it with the tips of her fingers. She managed to pull it towards her before raising the pot above her head and smashing it hard against the bottom of the canoe, breaking it into shards. Taking a shard, she quickly began slashing at the poles, cutting pitiful grooves into wood.

"Watch out," Tamatoa said, swiftly and carefully crawling across the criss-crossed wooden poles. He clung to the wood a moment as a wave rushed over the boat before scurrying to her side.

Tamatoa swatted her hands away from her wedged knee before clamping his claws on the wooden pole. He tightened his massive claws on the wood and pulled until magically,  _ wonderfully,  _ it snapped. For such a small creature, his claws were surprisingly powerful.

Now freed, Moana pulled her sore leg out of the hole. When she looked up she gasped. She had not been able to keep up with the fight going on up above and was surprised to see Maui plummeting right for her. Before Moana could react, Maui and his hook smashed into the boat, the force causing it to split in half.

All three of them were plunged into the churning waves now, floundering as they searched for the surface. Maui quickly recovered, grabbing his hook and shapeshifting into a shark. Tamatoa, however, wasn't doing so well. The waves batted him around. Unable to swim or find a reprieve, he was helpless to his surroundings.

Moana swam to the surface, dodging the pieces of broken boat that began to sink around her. The serpent was moving again, searching for them. When Moana did not see Tamatoa on the surface, she immediately started searching for him down below. It was hard to see with all the swirling bubbles and broken boat pieces, but the faint bioluminescent glow caught her eye. She took in a deep breath and dove under the ways, pushing herself further and further down until she could reach out for him. Tamatoa waved his limbs uselessly as he tried to find something to hold on to and when he felt Moana's hand, he clung on tightly.

Moana started swimming back to the surface, but was cut off by half of the boat sinking towards her. She managed to kick herself out from under it, but her energy was already starting to wane. Her lungs burned as she swam as fast as she could towards the surface. She was saved when Maui, pulled alongside her and pushed her to the surface.

Moana gasped in gulps of air, one arm wrapped around Maui. The monster still loomed above them, looking down from high in the fog. It opened its mouth again and Maui began to swim away, but paused when another dark shape was spotted in the fog. 

"Another monster?" Moana asked between gasps.

But then something strange happened. 

A voice rang out from the direction of the new silhouette and a volley of spears shot from it, attacking the monster. It wailed when the spears pieced its scaled armor and whipped its head around to fight this new foe. It did not have much time, however, as the voice rang out again and more spears shot at its body. The monster waivered for a moment before deciding the battle was too much and it sunk into the ocean, whipping up a few waves with the end of its tail.

Moana wanted to feel relieved but couldn't with this new, unseen entity slowly approaching. But as it came closer, she realized something.  _ It was a boat _ . The boat sailed closer, approaching the wreckage of their vessel. Moana saw people moving on the boat, craning their necks to look at the trio in the water.

"There are survivors!" Someone said.

"Pull them in," A strong, deep voice responded.

The boat came closer and the people came into view. Moana didn't recognize them at all. She didn't even recognize their boat. Different wood and different patterns on the sails. 

"A woman and- oh!" Someone said.

"Is it? Yes! It is Maui!" Another person called.

The news rippled along the crew of the boat and soon many people were coming to see them. The boat came close alongside them and the people helped Maui and Moana onto their vessel. 

"What is your name?" Someone asked.

"I am Moana, future chief of Motunui and protector of the ocean " She announced, still a little breathless from their encounter.

That seemed to surprise the crew.

"Motunui?" One asked.

"You must have come a long way!" Another said with a laugh.

The crew was enraptured in their conversation, but one man called out when Moana adjusted Tamatoa in her hands.

"She brings a monster!" He shouted.

The crew scattered then, stepping back from her while others grabbed spears and pointed them towards her. The mood had swiftly shifted. Moana was so startled by the sudden change that she couldn't think of anything to say.

"That is no crab you have, Moana," One man said, poised and ready to attack at any wrong move from Tamatoa.

"Yeah, why don't you toss him back in the ocean," Maui said with a smug smile.

"No!" Moana suddenly said as she came to her senses, "He may be a monster, but he's making a turn around. And look!" She held Tamatoa out, causing the crew to flinch, "He's so small, he's no more harmful than any other normal crab."

Tamatoa's antenna drooped at the notion, but the crew didn't seem any more convinced. They relaxed just slightly, though, and exchanged uncertain looks.

"We will have to speak with our leader," One man said, "Come."

The man led them across the boat to a hut in the shape of an arch. The crew moved out of the way as they came through, peering over to get a look at Tamatoa. Despite being the center of attention he didn't seem to be enjoying himself. He backed up on her hands and Moana had to hold him close to her chest so she didn't drop him. 

At the hut, their guide pulled away a drape that covered the entrance. It was dark inside except for the sliver of light they stood in. A man slept under a blanket, facing away.

"Asoese," The man called softly, "We need you."

The man shifted under the blanket. It took him a moment but soon he was sat up, rubbing a hand across his face. When he turned to face them, Moana gasped and Maui took a step back.

The main looked weathered and worn with a scraggly beard and an eyepatch over his right eye. That wasn't what caused then pause, though. The man's ears were pointed and a pair of twister horns sprouted out from his head. Scales were scattered across his skin with one large patch spreading from his right eye. 

Asoese looked at the newcomers before his settled on Tamatoa. When he spoke, his voice was low and gravely, "Who is it that thinks they can bring a monster onto my boat." 


	5. Chapter Five: Marine Iguana

"My name is Moana. I am the future chieftain of Motunui. I was chosen by the ocean to protect it and all of its creatures," Moana managed to stutter. 

She was stunned. Everything in her was saying to fight. It was a  _ monster. _ She was on the boat with a bunch of unknown people who were led by a monster in the middle of nowhere with no boat of their own to escape on.

"And I'm Maui. Shapeshifter. God of the wind and sea. Hero to all," He said, as casual as ever. Despite his cool tone, Moana noticed how tense he was.

Asoese stood. He was tall and lean with the usual long, wavy hair. He leaned in a bit closer to peer down at Tamatoa, who was still silent.

"That is Tamatoa, as I expected. I remember him being considerably larger upon our last encounter," He said.

Maui let out a sharp laugh, "Yeah. I say it's what he deserves but Moana won't agree with me."

"I do agree," Moana added quickly, "But please don't make me abandon him out on the ocean, I don't think he could make it on his own,"

Asoese hummed and scratched his beard before letting out a lazy yawn, "It is what he deserves. However, I have to wonder why a human would care so much about him. Tamatoa is the reason me and many others have faced hardship," Asoese said, tapping his eyepatch.

"I am the protector of the ocean and its creatures," Moana repeated, regaining her confidence, "I want to rehabilitate Tamatoa. I want to try my best to make him become a good person- uh, monster," Moana then bowed at the waste, "Please let me fulfill this mission."

Asoese considered the request, "Okay," He said simply, "But Tamatoa must apologize."

"Oh!" Moana said with relief, standing up straight again with her eyebrows raised, "You are very forgiving."

"As are you, it seems," Asoese said, "But it is not healthy to hold grudges." 

He walked by Moana to exit the hut. The sun was already beginning to set again, though it was barely visible. The fog was persistent, but the light that filtered through was now pink.

"My name has meaning. It means 'Different Day'," Asoese said, "Today is a different day. I have decided to forgive Tamatoa. As long as he apologizes," Asoese then turned back to face her, looking down at Tamatoa expectantly, "Do apologize or be removed from my ship?"

"Apologize," Moana insisted, holding Tamatoa out.

"There is no proof it was me," Tamatoa said, crossing his arms.

"What?" Moana shouted, "What other 50-foot, talking, monster crab is out there?" She asked, her patience quickly thinning.

"It could have been my evil twin," Tamtoa said, a pleased grin on his face.

"You are the evil twin," Maui commented.

Moana gave him a jab with her elbow before addressing Tamatoa with painful sincerity, "Please apologize. If you don't you won't be able to come with us anymore and you'll just be on your own. I want to help you, but you need to apologize for this bad thing you've done. Please, Tamatoa. Please."

Tamatoa gave her a funny look. It was like the stare he had given her before when she was stuck in the boat. He looked uncertain, like he had a conflict warring in his little head. Moana just looked right back at him, her eyes pleading.

Then Tamatoa turned around in her hands to address Asoese, who was patiently waiting. Tamatoa bowed his head before speaking, "I apologize for causing you to be blind in one eye," He said.  _ And he sounded sincere. _

"I forgive you," Asoese said simply, "Now. Come, and tell us how you've come to be here on my boat."

Asoese, Moana, Maui, Tamatoa, and many of the crew members gathered in a circle in the middle of the boat. Some of them were handing out food for dinner while others managed the boat. With many eyes on her, Moana explained how they got into their current predicament, starting with Maui showing her to scroll. The crowd listened intently until she finished with their meeting in the fog.

"May I see that paper?" Asoese asked.

Maui looked to Moana and she gave him a nod of confirmation. He then gave the paper to Asoese, who examined it carefully. He considered the words scrawled at the bottom for a moment before speaking.

"I am honest with you because I wish to have the same I'm return," Asoese said, "So I will tell you my own story. It may be longer than yours, but I hope it will help you on your way,"

Asoese returned the paper before settling down. Tamatoa sat on Moana's knee, busying himself with tearing the husk of a coconut into tiny pieces. Moana also noticed some of the people on the boat go to sleep as others awoke, apparently having a schedule set up for them. Her attention was brought back to Asoese as he began his story, however.

"I was not always like this. I used to be fully human, like you, Moana. On my island I was a warrior and I fought the monsters that sprung forth from the darkness that spread when Te Fiti lost her heart. One day, though, I was bitten," Asoese moved some locks of his wavy hair aside to reveal a scar on his forehead that resembled teeth marks.

"The wound healed, but it left a scar, and then," He trailed off a moment, lost in his memories, "I began to change. I grew scales near where the scar was. My teeth became fangs, horns grew from my head, and a tail appeared," He said, flicking his lizard-like tail against the deck.

"I also began to go mad, but bye then I had been cast away from my tribe. It was for the best, as no one else had seen such a thing happen. I then dedicated my life to finding a cure. Not only for myself, but for others, as with the increased amount of monsters, more people were afflicted as well. It was then that I heard of her. I heard of Sefina."

Moana and Maui exchanged a significant look. Moana also noticed Tamatoa look up from his shredded coconut as Asoese continued, "She was a monster, but she was not like others. Sefina wasn't violent or feral, she was a healer."

"Was?" Moana asked, wearily. 

"Yes. Was. When I found her she stopped the progression of my affliction, but before she could reverse the effects completely we were attacked and she fled. I have never seen her against since that day and I now doubt she lives. In her rush she left behind the artifact she had used to heal me," Asoese said as he reached into a pouch by his side, withdrawing an item the size of his fist.

It was a diamond-shaped, teal-colored gem. It had a faint glow and a unique luster that made it look almost unreal. Tamatoa dropped the husk held in his claw and took a step down Moana's leg, but was swiftly stopped when she pressed down on his shell. She knew he would try to steal it if she let him.

"This, I believe, is part of the crown you seek. I've spent the rest of my days looking for Sefina, but I have yet to find her again. I don't have the power Sefina does, but I can use the power of the gem to slow the affliction's spread. While I wish I could give it away," Asoese returned the gem to his pouch, "I think it serves a greater purpose healing the sick than controlling monsters."

"Well, yeah, but don't you think it would be easier to stop the monsters from biting people by using the crown rather than letting the monsters bite people and then only kinda healing them?" Maui said.

"Do you have the rest of the crown?" Asoese asked calmly.

"Not yet, but we're going to find it," Maui said, "It'll be easier to give it to us now and then you won't have to worry about it."

"I will always worry until I have the cure. I may not be the chief of our tribe, but I am the leader of those afflicted," He turned to Moana, "Like you call yourself the protector of the sea and its creatures. I am the protector of those who are infected by monsters. If you ever find the rest of the crown I will give you the gem, but as is, I cannot."

Moana nodded. She understood. Besides, he hadn't flat out rejected them. She just needed to add 'cure for monster disease' onto her list of things to do

"Well," Asoese said, standing, "We will be heading back to the homeland now that we have rescued you from the sea. From there you can continue your journey. Perhaps you can learn more about the strange portals that have been showing up on your way."

"Wait, the what?" Moana asked.

"You do not know?" Asoese asked, "It started months ago."

"My people have only just started voyaging again not too long ago. We haven't made it too far away from our island yet," Moana said, "Where is your homeland?"

"Hauti," Asoese said.

"I'm not sure where that is," Moana confessed. Asoese helped her to her feet then waved his hand for the other crew members to move out of his way. She cradled Tamatoa in her arm as Asoese led her back to the hut, followed by Maui.

"It's several weeks from Motunui," Maui said, "It would be much quicker to just go back to Motunui at this point."

Asoese gave Maui a funny look over his shoulder, "Let me show you our maps." 

The drapes were tied to the side in the hut, allowing the moonlight to brighten up the interior. Asoese's bed was tucked to the side and a wooden crate pushed into the middle to serve as a table. He then rummaged through several packs and boxes before producing a large paper scroll.

He spread it out over the crate and placed rocks on three of the corners to weigh it down, leaving one corner to curl inward as he looked for one more weight. 

Moana smoothed down the corner then sat Tamatoa down on it, "Stay," She requested.

"I am not your pet," He snipped. Tamatoa then hopped down from the crate and scuttled away.

"I can make him stay," Maui said, eager to torment him some more. 

"No," Moana sighed, "You can't make him be nice."

Asoese finally found a fourth rock and placed it down to reveal the whole map. Moana looked over it carefully. She recognized nothing. All the islands were unfamiliar to her. The map was large with many different islands scrawled across it with names. She didn't even see Motunui.

Something strange about the map, though, were circular sections made with red dye. They varied in size and were all located far away from islands in the middle of the ocean. She also noticed several islands with red Xs marked by the names of certain islands.

"This is Hauti," Asoese said, pointing to an island in the center of the map, "These are islands that have been destroyed and corrupted by the darkness Te Fiti let out," He said, pointing to the islands with Xs by their name.

"Where is Motunui?" Moana asked.

"It is far out in this direction," Asoese said, indicating one corner of the map. 

"And where are we?" Maui asked, giving the map a skeptical look.

"Here," Asoese said, pointing at the edge of a red circle, "Only a few days travel from Hauti."

"What does the circle mean?" Moana asked carefully.

"The circles are the portals I mentioned. As you can see, they have appeared all over with no apparent pattern other than being over the ocean," Asoese then scratched his beard, "We don't know much about them yet. How to close them or how to predict where they will appear next."

"I don't think I understand. Where do the portals lead to?" Moana asked.

Asoese looked at Moana with a tired eye, "My Dear," He said, "You are in Lalotai."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Maui said with a laugh, "We can't be in Lalotai. The gate in the mountain is the only entrance. Besides, I think I would know if I just so happened to sail into the Realm of the Monsters."

"Look around you, Maui. Does this fog look normal? It does not dissipate unless you find the exit back to the mortal realm. Not all portals are like this, but we have been examining it for some time. It is dangerous, with rocks rising above the surface. There are even tall walls with caves etched into it, monster dens," Asoese said.

"I know where we are," Tamatoa announced. Everyone looked at him. He had managed to climb onto a pile of boxes to overlook the group, "The Valley of Fog. Everyone knows about it. Pretty dangerous, apparently."

"Yes," Asoese confirmed, "It is quite difficult to navigate."

"No, there was something else," Tamatoa mused.

"Spit it out, then," Maui said, impatient.

"Well if you'd give me a moment I may remember" Tamatoa said, matching his tone. He thought for a moment, walking in a little circle, but eventually shrugged, "I can not remember."

"Ah, so you're completely useless, then," Maui glowered.

Tamatoa gave him a nasty look but stayed perched where he was.

"Stop arguing," Moana insisted. Her voice was tired and it seemed to convince Maui to leave the other alone.

"You must be exhausted from your journey," Asoese said, "Here. Stay in the hut and sleep."

"I don't know if I can," Moana confessed.

"Sleep," Asoese repeated, "You can't do anything while you're so tired. You and your friends are my guests, so please accept my hospitality."

Moana just nodded. Even if she couldn't sleep, she could at least rest. 

"I'll keep a watch on these guys," Maui whispered after Asoese left.

"I'll keep watch too," Tamatoa announced.

"Thank you Maui," Moana said, laying out Asoese's bed, "Thank you Tamatoa."

She laid down and suddenly felt the weight of the day fall down on her. A lot had happened. She was far from home. Strange things were happening. But she was safe, it seemed. She was on a boat with others to provide for her. Maui, and to a lesser extent Tamatoa, were there to look out for her. She could relax. It shouldn't be too hard to fall asleep.

Then she heard a sound that jolted her awake. Moana thought it was a memory for a moment before realizing it was real. The low, guttural horn blared out over the ocean. The crew of the boat began to call out for each other before Asoese's voice cut through them all.

"Quiet. Prepare yourself, but listen." He shouted.

Then it fell silent.

There was the sound of birds. Very big birds, it seemed. Then she heard a piercing screech of a predatory hawk and the shocked gasps of the crew.

"I remember now!" Tamatoa said, "Harpies!"


	6. Chapter Six: Osprey

Moana sat up straight, heart pounding.

"Stay in here," Maui commanded, "You're too beat up to fight."

Maui left the hut, immediately followed by Moana. There was no way she was going to just sit back and wait. The moonlight refracted through the fog, highlighting tall, jagged shadows rising up from the ocean. As they carefully sailed passed one, Moana realized it was an uneven pillar of rock. Like before, two more guttural horn blares rang out and a chorus of shrieks and squawks echoed over the ocean. Then a volley of silhouettes rose from the jagged rocks and began to swarm the boat.

Maui shapeshifted into a hawk and flew out to meet the attackers. The crew had also organized themselves by the time Moana could take in her surroundings. Some held spears, ready to strike any foe who came too close to the boat. Other members held their spears above their shoulder, ready to launch it at enemies. The rest of the crew members busied themselves with navigating the boat through the jagged rocks

"Shoot!" Asoese yelled, his voice ringing clear above the sound of the lapping waves and screeching monsters. 

All of the spear throwers launched their weapons at the silhouettes. Some of the weapons completely missed or were evaded, but a few made contact. The struck monsters screeched and withdrew away from the boat. Those unhurt, however, continued to advance on them.

One monster dove at a crew member, causing him to trip backwards as it swooped back up into the sky. Another tried to attack, but was deterred by a woman stabbing at it with a spear. A third, however, tackled a crew member to the floor of the boat, letting Moana get a good look at their attacker.

They all resembled women with messy, unkempt hair and sharp features. Her lower half resembled the legs of a bird with long, black talons and her arms had long feathers which enabled her to fly. The woman slashed at her victim with her clawed hands. He tried to fight back but she wrenched his spear away from him.

The other crew were busy fighting off the harpies which had began to swarm the boat. Moana rushed forward, picking up the discarded spear and swinging it at the harpy. The handle struck the monster on its ribs, catching it off guard and allowing the crew member to push her off of him. The harpy then retreated into the fog before it could be overpowered. The crew member gave her an appreciative nod before getting back into the fight.

Moana tried to find somewhere to jump in, but struggled. The crew had organized into a coordinated formation of spear throwing and hand-to-hand combat. Maui was still battling the monsters in the air, targeting those who were trying to dive on the crew. Moana hadn't fought in groups before.

"Woah, woah! "Asoese called out, "Brace yourselves! Veer to the right."

Moana looked ahead of the boat to see a rock jutting out in the boat's path. The boat then suddenly jolted and steered to the right to avoid the obstacle. The side of the hull scraped along the rock, but they continued on anyways. The crew stumbled as they struggled to keep their footing, but soon were back to the battle.

Moana looked at the woman steering the boat only to see she was alone. She seemed to easily avoid the rocks, but when a monster targeted her she had to let go of the oar to fight off the monster. Moana then decided where she would fight.

The women's spear was yanked from her hands by a harpy and she raised her hands to defend herself, ready to start throwing punches. Moana then thrust her spear at the harpy, causing it to swerve away then retreat back into the fog. The woman thanked Moana before returning her attention to steering.

The next minutes flashed by. Harpies flew in and out of their reach, attacking as a continuous onslaught. Moana felt scratches form along her skin as claws and talons slashed at her. All the harpies fought as if they were all on the same wavelength, a level of organization Moana had never seen from monsters.

Moana was in the middle of fighting off a harpy when she tuned into the obnoxious whistling from behind her. She glanced back a moment to see it was coming from Tamatoa. He had climbed to the top of the hut and had perched himself there, overlooking the boat. Was he trying to get her attention? Moana gasped as a harpy dived right towards the completely defenseless Tamatoa with its talons open. 

"Watch out!" Moana yelped.

Tamatoa casually turned to the harpy then whistled again. It was sharp, high pitched, and clearly audible over the noise of the fight. The diving harpy shuttered, the feathers along her body ruffling before she quickly veered upward.

Moana stared on, dumbfounded, but soon had to fight off an oncoming harpy. She continued to fight until the boat reached a wide stretch with few rocks ahead. Moana then excused herself and ran to the hut where Tamatoa still stood.

"What are you doing?" She said, having to yell to be heard over the din.

"Whistling," He said simply.

"But how- how are you making the harpies fly away?" She asked.

The fighting had been going on for several minutes now, but they seemed to be making no progress. The onslaught continued with more and more harpies joining the battle. It was seemingly endless.

"They hate loud noises," Tamatoa said.

Moana gritted her teeth and narrowed her gaze on him, "Why didn't you say anything soon?"

"Everyone knows!" Tamatoa said defensively.

Moana scoffed and turned back to face the battle taking place, "Hey!" She shouted.

But no one looked her way. The previously organized attack formations was falling apart. Blood was slick on the floor. Those fighting against the harpies were riddled with bruises and scratches. The harpies just continued to dive in and attack then fly out of range before they could be injured.

Then Moana made a decision. She climbed up to the top of the hut, standing above the crew. She took in a deep breath. Then she screamed.

Her high pitched scream cut through the noise. Everyone turned their heads to look at her. The battle seemed to hang for just a moment. The harpies screeched and became disoriented. One pair collided into each other as they retreated. There was no attacking for a moment as the harpies retreated from the sound.

They weren't gone for long, though.

When Moana ran out of breath they started to come back again. Then the woman steering the boat screamed. Her voice was even more high pitched and caused an even larger struggle in the harpies. The other crew members soon started following suit, letting out shrieks and bellows. 

The harpies tried to continue their attack. Many times they missed their targets, flew into each other, or were unable to dodge return attacks. The final straw was when Maui landed on the boat in his human form before letting out an impossibly loud roar. 

Then the harpies scrambled to retreat. They were actually leaving, no longer trying to claw at the crew or drag them overboard.

"Moana, look out!" Maui called, pointing behind her.

She instinctively ducked down, covering her head with her arms. But the Harpy wasn't aiming for her, apparently. Tamatoa let out a surprised yelp as he was snatched up in the talons of a harpy.

"No!" Moana yelled.

She reached out, trying to stop the harpy before it could fly away. Moana managed to grab one of Tamatoa's claws, but she was not strong enough. The claw slipped from her hand and the harpy flew off with Tamatoa. She jumped off from the roof of the hut, pushing through the crowd towards where the harpy was quickly escaping. She found a spear, and when she reached the end of the boat she raised it up. She had never thrown one before, but she had to do  _ something. _

"No," Asoese commanded, firmly taking hold of the spear as she drew her arm back.

"It has Tamatoa!" She tried to argue.

But Asoese was one step ahead of her. He poised with a spear that had a long rope tied to the end of it, ready to throw. Even with one eye he had amazing accuracy. The spear whistled through the air with unbelievable force. It disappeared into the fog and Moana held her breath. A moment later the harpy let out a wail and dropped into the ocean.

"Pull!" Asoese commanded.

Together, Moana and Asoese steadily reeled in the dead harpy. As they pulled, Moana was hit with a thousand worries. What if the rope snapped? What if the harpy fell off the spear? What if Tamatoa was already dead? What if Tamatoa fell into the water and was already sinking to the ocean floor? What if-

Eventually, Asoese reached into the waves below and took hold of one, massive wing. He heaved the corpse on board, and there he was. Tamatoa was trapped in the talons of the harpy, unable to free himself.

Asoese helped Moana pry the talons apart, freeing Tamatoa. The back of his shell now had a three deep scratches on it, but he was  _ alive _ .

"You let go of me!" Tamatoa wailed, betrayed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Moana said, her voice cracking with relief. She picked up the flustered Tamatoa and hugged. She didn't want to care about the fate of this stupid, annoying, angry crab, but she had already put so much effort in that she couldn't give up on him now.

"Good. The attackers are gone and we've lost none of our crew," Asoese said. He yanked the spear from the harpies chest before rolling it off the boat.

"Thank you," Moana gushed, "If it weren't for you- ow!" She dropped Tamatoa when he pinched her thumb, "What is your problem?! We just saved your life, why are you being such a jerk?" She demanded, her relief suddenly boiling into anger.

Tamatoa just growled at her. He had landed on his back, falling into the dip between two planks of wood. He tried to tip himself back over, but failed. He then looked to Moana for help.

"No. You got yourself into that situation by your own fault. If you weren't such a jerk it wouldn't have happened. You get yourself out of it," Moana then stood and stormed off. Moana found Maui, who was sitting away from the crew, and sat by him, fumeing. 

"What's that about?" Maui asked.

"Tamatoa is such a jerk," Moana said through gritted teeth.

"I told you," Maui said with a smile and a shrug, "What happened to your whole friendship routine?"

"I try to be nice, but he just keeps being mean," Moana snarled.

Maui laughed, "That's how he is. That's how  _ monsters _ are. You should have let him be taken off."

Moana contemplated the suggestion a moment before sighing, "No. No, I've put too much into this 'project' so far. Besides, he could be useful. He knew the harpies hated loud noise. Maybe he could know other useful things about Lalotai and its monsters."

"Okay. But you're going to be the one who keeps getting hurt by him," Maui said.

Moana just grumbled.

She pulled her knees to her chest and got a look at the other crew members. They were pretty badly battered, but still seemed in high spirits. Many of them had been cleaned and bandaged up and were now joking around with each other.

"Oh, if it weren't for her ugly teeth I'm sure Akamu would've asked her name," One man said, receiving laughter from some of the others.

"I'd've asked if she was cold, first. You think they'd put something on before going into battle" Akuma responded, evoking more laughs.

Moana smiled and let out a little laugh of her own. But then she felt a sudden wave of loneliness. She hadn't been able to laugh with her own people for a whole week. A whole, very eventful, week. During half of that time she had been fighting monsters and fighting Maui on the ethics of fighting monsters. Then for half of  _ that _ time she had been fighting Tamatoa and his stubborn personality. 

She wanted to go home. Yes, the ocean was a second home to her, but she wanted to go to her real home. With her family.

"Got any scrapes or scratches?" Someone asked.

Moana looked up to see a woman crouching next to her with a box of medical supplies. Moana had noticed her weaving around the crew before. 

"Oh! Uh," Moana looked herself over, "I don't think so. A few scratches. My knee is a bit sore, but that was from a while ago."

"What about your leg?" She asked, pointing to Moana's bandaged calf.

"Oh, that's old. It is probably healed by now," Moana said.

"Well let's take a look just in case," The medicine woman suggested.

They carefully unwrapped the bandaged leg to reveal to scar. 

The woman raised her brows as she examined the leg, "Oh dear, what happened?"

"Nothing serious. It was just," Moana paused, "I was- I-," She trailed off as her eyes went wide with an uncomfortable realization. 

She rubbed her fingers along the scar and something was  _ wrong.  _ Rubbing downward the skin was smooth, but upwards it was rough. Like shark skin. Moana turned to look at Maui who had his eyes fixed on the scar, a scowl spreading across his face.

Her next words came in a whisper, "I was bit by a monster."


	7. Chapter Seven: Spotted Tilapia

Asoese crouched by Moana's side, the magic gem held in his hand, "It will sting," He warned.

"I'll be okay," Moana said flatly.

Asoese took a firm grip on her leg, the gem being squeezed between his palm and where the scar was. The gem glowed brighter for a moment, causing Moana to grit her teeth with the pain. It was like little needles prickling her skin, leaving a burning sensation behind. A few seconds later the game's light dimmed and the pain subsided. 

"You'll have to drink this as well," Asoese said, gesturing to the medicine woman. She handed him an old, small clay bowl. Inside sloshed a dark, slimy liquid with a foul smell, "Its unpleasant and it will cause you throw up, but it will slow down the spreading and keep your mind focused."

Asoese gave Moana the bowl and left her to attend to other matters. Moana looked down at the liquid, unimpressed. 

"Are you going to be okay?" Maui asked, tension evident in his voice.

"I just need a moment to myself. Thank you," Moana whispered.

"Okay," Is all he said.

Moana walked to the edge of the boat and dangled her legs off of it. She gave the liquid another look before quickly gulping it down. Moana gagged and grimaced as the liquid tried to settle in her stomach. She hadn't swallowed all of the medicine and decided to wait a moment before downing the rest.

Then she felt her stomach churn and, as Asoese said, she threw up. It was gross, black, and gritty. Thankfully she leaned forward enough to let it all fall into the ocean. She groaned and spat the acidic taste from her mouth.

Moana heard a scraping, dragging sound before she felt something bump into the side of her leg. She looked down to see Tamatoa. He had apparently tipped himself back over and found the coconut he had been mauling before the harpy attack. It now had a jagged hole torn into the top of it.

"I opened the coconut," Tamatoa stated proudly.

"That's cool, Tamatoa," Moana said.

His eyes shifted around uncomfortably before speaking again, "I don't like the coconut water, but I know you  _ humans _ like it. I supposed it shouldn't go to waste."

Moana accepted the coconut and gave it a tentative sniff. He didn't seem to have tainted it in any way. She took a small sip of the water and concluded that it was, in fact, just coconut water. She swished the sweet water around her mouth, spitting it out before really drinking any. It thankfully helped settle her stomach.

"What's this?" Tamatoa asked, nudging the medicine bowl.

"I was infected by a monster a week ago without realizing it, so now I have to drink this. It's supposed to stop the infection spreading and clear my head," Moana said.

"Oh," Is all Tamatoa said.

Moana continued to drink the coconut water in silence. Tamatoa could come and be nice to her, but until he apologized she wouldn't reciprocate. Hopefully 'tough love' would be more effective. Right now she was a bit more concerned with other matters.

Tamatoa made a strange noise and Moana looked to see what caused it. He was making an uncomfortable face before he began to throw up. He had taken the rest of Moana's medicine. She jumped to her feet, evading the black gunk that spread out in front of him

"What is your problem?" She yelled, "Why did you do that? That wasn't for you."

She drew the attention of the others around her, but she didn't care.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Maui said, suddenly by her side.

Moana crossed her arms as she felt her face heating up with anger, "He took the medicine, and now he's sick."

Maui, sharing her anger, stooped down and picked Tamatoa up by one of his legs. But the monster didn't struggle. In fact, he hung limp, unconscious, "Geeze, did you knock him out?"

"No," Moana hissed, snatching Tamatoa away from him, "He took the medicine that makes you throw up the monster infection. He knew it would make him sick, and he took it anyways." Moana then turned on her heel and marched to the hut where Asoese had stationed himself.

A few minutes later and everything was addressed. The mess was cleaned, Moana was given the rest of her medicine dose, and the medicine woman took a look at Tamatoa.

"It is meant to literally attack any monster that had infected the body, so I don't know what will happen when an actual monster drinks it," The woman said.

"Will he be okay?" Moana asked begrudgingly.

"I think so. He is still alive, but will likely be sick for a few days," She said.

"Okay. Thank you," Moana said, letting the medicine woman leave.

Moana had placed Tamatoa on a punched up cloth to serve as a little bed. She was still angry at Tamatoa, and she hadn't forgiven him yet, but it was still her mission to rehabilitate him. Moana found a corner of the boat to herself and laid down. She was too tired to stay up worrying.

Maui had opted to stay up to keep watch for more monsters. Moana figured he was probably still apprehensive of the crew as well. She didn't want to know what he thought about her. It probably wasn't going to be good. Above all, Moana's mission now was to find the cure to the monster infection.

Tamatoa groaned and shifted on his makeshift bed. His drooping antenna twitched as he blearily blinked open a single eye. It took him a moment, but he managed to focus on Moana.

"You're still alive," Moana said.

He didn't say anything, but looked away with- what was it? Shame? 

"I always feel like I'm always saving you and keeping you safe, yet you're always mean to me. I'm nice to you and you're mean. I save your life and you're mean. Would you even try to save me if I was in trouble?"

"I can't. I'm too small and useless as I am," Tamatoa said weakly. 

"You're only useless as long as you let yourself be. How do you expect things to change if you never try to change them?" Moana asked.

Her words were useless, however, as his eye had closed again and he fell back asleep. Whatever. It wasn't likely he'd even take her words to heart, anyways. If he had a heart

Moana woke the next morning to much the same. Fog. Silhouettes of rocks raising up around them. The casual conversation of the crew members. Tamatoa was still fast asleep. Maui was also nearby, having dozed off a bit as he waited for her to wake up again.

"Morning, Princess," Maui teased.

Moana gave him a smile. After the night's rest and speaking to Tamatoa, she felt quite a bit better. "Hey. Where's breakfast?" 

After finding some food, the two sat at the back of the boat, to watch the fog swirl back into place as they sailed through it.

"No more monsters came back, but we kept an eye out for them," Maui said.

"No sleep again?" Moana asked.

Maui shrugged, "It's nothing, really."

"Well, I appreciate how hard you're working," Moana said giving him a pat on the arm.

"You've been working hard, too," Maui said, "I saw you fighting those harpies. You did pretty good." 

Maui gave her a nudge and got a laugh from Moana, "Thank you, I guess."

They mostly relaxed for the rest of the day with nothing to do but wait. Around midday they heard harpies out in the fog again. Instead of screaming, though, they started up singing at the top of their lungs. Moana wasn't familiar with the crew's songs so they helped her learn them. Maui, however, sat out. He opted to keep his eye on the fog until the harpies left them alone.

"I think I recognize parts of that last one," Moana said with a laugh.

"I'm not surprised. There's destined to be some aspects in common," said Malia, the woman who steered the boat during the attack, "Even if our songs have one thousand years of difference, they all had to come from a similar origin."

"I should try teaching you some of the songs from my village," Moana suggested.

"That sounds great! Maybe Akamu will find a new song to sing insistently," One of the men, Fetu, said.

"Nothin' beats Rose Mulled Wine," Akamu said.

Akamu then started singing his favorite song but devolved into laughter when Malia and Fetu started groaning.

"Well, I better check on the boys," Moana said.

She stood and stretched before heading to where she had left Tamatoa. Moana had to quickly slide to the side as someone ran by her. Small boat, she guessed. Moana noticed Maui sitting on his own on the side of the boat. She thought of going to him first, but decided she wanted to check on Tamatoa before Maui caught her up in a conversation. 

But something was wrong. 

On the far end of the boat where Tamatoa had been left was one other person. They must have been infected by some bird monster, as they had long, curled feathers falling out of their skirt like a tail as well as a pair of wings with stubbly feathers like a newly hatched bird. They paced in small circles, agitated about something.

Moana cautiously approached the man, though she kept a distance between them, "Are you okay?" 

The man's head snapped towards her and Moana took an unsure step back. He had a wild look in her eye, his pupil shrunk into a slit. Moana slowly backed away, but he had already set his eyes on her.

He had a spear. The man's grip was so tight that the tendons were clearly visible on his hands. He started to advance on her, keeping pace with how fast Moana backed away. Moana then noticed Tamatoa. He had managed to tumble out of his bed, though he looked disoriented 

"Stay back Tamatoa," She said in a calm voice.

Tamatoa didn't seem to hear her, though, as he zig-zagged towards the man. He was dizzy and grabbed at the empty air for a moment before he clamped onto one of the tail feathers. Tamatoa then gave a pitiful yank.

It didn't seem to hurt the monster, but it caught his attention. He flipped the spear around in his hands so that the sharp tip pointed toward. He drew back the spear before thrusting to down towards Tamatoa.

Quickly, Moana sprung forward and shoved the man. He lost his balance and missed Tamatoa, stumbling back a few feet. He turned his attention back to Moana, but Maui stepped in before he could attack. 

Maui plucked the spear from his grip and picked the man up by the neck. The man struggled, scrambling and scratching at Maui in an attempt to be freed. Maui didn't yield, however, and gave Moana a scathing look.

"You want to trust these people?" Maui scolded.

Moana was absolutely speechless.

"Monsters can never be trusted," Maui said.

"Let him down," Asoese commanded.

The two crew members who had rushed by Moana were flanking him, looking on in worry

"He tried to attack Moana," Maui growled.

"He cannot help it. It is a side effect of his infection, put him down," Asoese said, his voice turning more stern.

Maui scowled at Asoese.

"Is this how you will treat me when the infection progresses, Maui?" Moana asked, "Like I'm just mindless a monster?"

"You will set him down or leave my boat," Asoese commanded.

Maui practically threw the man on the deck before shapeshifting into a giant hawk and flying off into the fog above. He flew with such force that the boat rocked when he left, causing waves to ripple out. The flap of Maui's wings were heard for a few seconds before they were absorbed by the fog.

Moana stared off to where Maui disappeared as Asoese took care of the man. The two crew members restrained the man as Asoese pressed the gem against his forehead. The gem glowed and the man struggled for a moment before he calmed down and the crew released their grip on him. He sat up, looking incredibly drained and confused. He pressed his palm into his temple before being led away by the two crew.

Asoese stood beside Moana, looking off into the fog with her.

"He'll be back" She said simply. 

Moana then stooped to pick up Tamatoa and sat next to where she had left his bed. She crossed her legs and placed the bed on her lap before nestling Tamatoa down into the cloth. He swayed for a moment before settling down, his antennae drooping due to the little amount of energy he had.

"That was very brave of you, Tamatoa," Moana said.

"It was okay," Tamatoa admitted. A look came across his face and he clearly had something to say, so Moana waited patiently for him to speak again, "You're right about me. I shouldn't have been so mean to the one person who has treated me kindly, and for that I am sorry."

Moana smiled slightly and patted him on the back of his shell. He was making progress all on his own. "Hey. What did one ocean say to the other?" Moana asked.

"Sea you later," Tamatoa said.

Moana let out a genuine laugh, "That works. But I was going to say 'nothing, they just waved',"

Then it was time for Tamatoa to laugh, though it was small and weak. But then he said something Moana had not expected, "He has not always been like that. Has not always hated monsters so much."

"Yeah?" Moana asked.

"There used to be a time when I'd say we were friends. It was the obvious choice, since I used to be very strong and handsome. But then he ripped off my leg and disappeared for a thousand years, so things have changed since then." Tamatoa said.

"Why did you two start to fight?" Moana asked.

But Tamatoa had already fallen asleep again. Or maybe he just pretended to. But if he did not want to answer, Moana would not force him.

Moana sat on her own for a while after that. Malia invited her to chat with the others, but she declined. The day went on, but Maui still didn't return. Moana knew he could take care of himself, so she didn't worry too much. Besides, where would he go? When the sun started to set beyond the fog again the crew started changing shifts and Moana overheard their conversation. 

"We should be out of here by the time morning comes if things go well," Someone said.

"Do you think there will be a fight tonight?" Akamu asked.

"Can't say for sure. The harpies haven't returned, but there could always be something else. When we sail through the narrow pass, there might be something there," The other said.

Moana nudged Tamatoa, trying to wake him up, but he continued to sleep. Whatever. They could handle whatever came for them, if it came. 

Soon Moana saw Asoese out and about again. He consulted with the crew before coming to speak with her.

"How are you doing, Moana?" Asoese asked.

"Good, I guess," She said, "Maui hasn't come back yet, but he'll probably get tired and come back soon."

"He just needs to think on his feelings. That kind of reaction is common among family of those afflicted," Asoese said, sitting next to her with a groan, "He cares about you, so he's angry with your situation."

"I'm sorry he's acted that way to your crew. He's just too stubborn," Moana said.

"You can't control him. He must come to accept it on his own, though it will be tough," Asoese said.

"He has to. I can't fix this on my own," Moana said.

"Approaching the channel!" Someone called.

Moana and Asoese looked ahead of the boat. The shadow on two giant walls was visible in the fog, coming together to create a narrow valley between them. 

"Excuse me. I'd rather be focused while we travel through here. Get some rest," Asoese said before leaving Moana's side. 

The valley was quiet. The crew was quiet. Everyone was focused on navigating their way to the other side. The walls were jagged and towered high above with caves carved into them. More rocks jutting out from the water at random, making navigation difficult. The boat had to squeeze through carefully to prevent them from damage. There were several crew members at the front of the boat, keeping an eye on any hard to see obstacles or looming threats.

Moana laid down to get some rest. She was painfully aware of the choppy, slow movement of the boat, but hopefully she could sleep anyways. She pulled Tamatoa's bed closer to herself to be sure he didn't fall off the boat then closed her eyes. 

She slept for quite some time before shouting woke her and the others back up.

"I see something living," One person called 

"People?" Asoese asked.

"I can't tell," They replied.

Several people moved to the front of the boat to see what was going on. Moana sat up, half asleep, and tried to get a look at what was discovered.

"More harpies!" One yelled.

The few sleeping crew members were quickly awoken and prepared as the boat carefully navigated through the channel. But the harpies did not come. And the crew remained silent. Moana looked around, confused. All of them were looking out at the walls on either side. Moana turned to see what they were looking at and froze.

They were beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight, this is as far as I've written to date. From here on, chapters will be posted as I finish them!


	8. Chapter Eight: I'iwi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter's illustration contains cartoon tiddy.

They were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Their colorful, vibrant feathers perfectly framed their bodies. Unlike the previous harpies, their hair was silky smooth and styled with ribbons and jeweled brooches. Their tail and wing feathers were tipped with bioluminescent colors which matched the swirling patterns that covered their skin.

The harpies were lounged across the rocks, chatting with each other in some foreign language. They laughed and waved at the crew. They did not react, though. They could not. They were too beautiful. 

Seconds, minutes, hours passed as they adored them. The sun started to rise. Moana and the crew never grew tired of taking in the beautiful harpies. They couldn't move as they admired them, enraptured by the elegance.

Moana felt something pinch her ankle and someone spoke to her. She didn't look away. That didn't matter when she could stare at the harpies. They were the only thing that mattered in life.

Something was crawling up her leg, then grasping at her skirt as it climbed up her body. The thing eventually fell down, hitting the deck with a hollow thud. Then it started climbing again. This time it managed to climb to her shoulder, painfully pulling on her hair as it went higher. She didn't care to shoo them away. Pain was nothing when she could look at the beautiful harpies.

Something covered her eyes and Moana jolted.  _ She had to see them. Her arm rose to swat at whatever was blocking her view, but they did not yield. She thrashed and scratched at what had blinded her. She had to see them, she had to- _

Wait.

No she didn't. Why had she been looking at the harpies for long? She had to defend herself! 

Moana then realised a strip of cloth had been tied around her face like a blindfold. Moana reached to remove it, but was stopped when Tamatoa spoke in her ear.

"Dont!" He warned, "You can't look at them or you'll be hypnotized again."

"Okay, okay," Moana said. She took in a deep breath, "How do I fight them?"

"You could fight them like before, but it will be a waste of time," Tamatoa said, "They don't care about fighting, but if you do nothing everyone will stand here until they starve to death or die from exposure. It suppose doesn't affect me because I'm a monster. A full monster."

"You'll have to be my eyes, then," Moana said. She tightened the blindfold around her face then stuck her arms out in front of her, "Tell me how to get to the oar." 

Tamatoa carefully guided her through the crowd. She bumped into a few people as she navigated, but they did nothing. They said nothing. Suddenly the boat jolted to the right and stopped moving forward.

"What happened?" Moana asked.

"I think the boat is wedged between a rock and the wall," Tamatoa explained.

Moana groaned, "Okay, tell me how to get to the front of the boat instead."

Being blind was tougher than Moana thought. She stepped on feet multiple times and nearly tumbled into people as she moved through. Eventually she climbed down from the main platform onto the right of the two canoes that formed the base of the boat.

She sat and carefully slid forward, sticking her feet out in front of her. Soon she felt a rocky texture on the soles of her feet. Moana braced herself against the canoe and pushed. Nothing. She adjusted her grip and shifted to push with more leverage, but she still wasn't nearly strong enough.

"You're not really doing anything," Tamatoa said.

"I know," She hissed.

Moana shimmied her way back onto the central platform and stood among the crew again.

"Where is Asoese?" Moana asked.

"What? Why?" Tamatoa asked.

Moana then started feeling the people around her, searching for the captain, "I can't do this alone, I need his help."

"I doubt you'll be able to save him this way. He'll just struggle and push you away" Tamatoa said.

"I at least have to try," Moana said, growing tired of how resistant he was to help her.

"Well," Tamatoa trailed off, "He's to your right."

Moana felt the person to her right and recognized his beard and his set of horns. It was surely Asoese. She took in a deep breath then covered his eye with her hands. Asoese immediately struggled. He jerked away from Moana and elbowed her chest hard, winding her.

Moana stumbled back, pushing into another person before falling to the deck of the boat. She didn't get up. She was tired. She just wanted to sleep one full night and not have to worry about taking care of everyone else. When did this all become her responsibility? 

Tamatoa crawled up her shoulder and poked her cheek with a claw, "Are you still alive."

"For now," Moana mumbled..

"Geeze, no need to be so depressed," Tamatoa said.

"Tamatoa," Is all Moana said.

It was all she had to say, apparently, as Tamatoa didn't say anything in response. Instead, he crawled off her shoulder. Moana continued to lay there for a while longer, trying to stuff down her emotional turmoil so she could come up with some amazing idea to save everyone. 

_ Thunk. _

Moana sat up straight, rigid, "What was that," She whispered.

"Ugh," Is all Tamatoa said. 

"What's going on here?" Maui asked.

Moana pursed her lips. The last thing she needed right now was to deal with Maui. Drama was only going to make things worse. He was probably going to suggest leaving everyone behind or something.  _ They were just monsters, after all. _

"Moana?" Maui asked, his heavy footsteps approaching her.

"Please don't cause trouble right now," She pleaded.

"What? No. Listen I've dealt with these guys before. We have to get everyone out of here before they die from hunger or exhaustion," Maui said.

Moana was so shocked she didn't say anything.

"So, do you have a plan yet?" Maui asked.

"Uh, no. Not one that I'm certain of. I was thinking of just steering the boat out of here with Tamatoa's help, but the boat is stuck and I can't free us."

"That's a good start," Maui commented, "We'll need to tweak it a little. Here, you stay by the oar."

Maui took hold of Moana's hand and pulled her to her feet. He carefully turned her around and guided her around the boat by the shoulder. He nudged her to sit down then she felt him set something on her knee, Tamatoa.

"This would be fine if I could see through people," Tamatoa said.

"Just give me a minute," Maui said with an honorable amount of restraint.

Moana then heard Maui walk away, followed by several other stumbling footsteps.

"What's he doing?" Moana asked.

"Moving the people around," Tamatoa said.

"How come he isn't affected by the harpies?" Moana asked.

"He's a demigod," Tamatoa sighed, "He's immune to these things."

"Can you see now, Wittle Cwab?" Maui asked from across the boat.

Tamatoa grumbled but answered with a sharp, "Yes."

"Okay, so here's my plan," Maui said, walking closer, "I'll get us un-stuck then Tamatoa is going to be your eyes to steer you out. It's pretty straight out of here."

"Well, why don't you steer?" Moana asked.

"This boat is meant to be handled by more than two people, one of who is blind. I'll take care of everything else," Maui then set a hand on her shoulder, "It's going to be okay. I'll help you stay on course when I can. Just let me know if you can't handle it."

Moana took in a steady breath then furrowed her brow, giving a nod of assurance, "Okay. Let's do this."

Moana took a firm grip of the oar as Maui walked around her for a few minutes, presumably adjusting the sail and whatnot. He eventually moved to the front of the wedged canoe, shouting out a quick "Casting off!" Before she felt the boat move backwards a bit. Maui grunted as the boat veered to the left a bit and then she felt it being pushed forward by the wind.

Moana felt her stomach tense when Tamatoa gave his first command.

"A little to the left," He said casually. 

Moana adjusted the oar accordingly and that was it. They kept going. A couple minutes later he ordered her again and that was it. It was easy. At one point the wind picked up and things got a little tricky, but she had gained confidence by then.

An uncomfortable scraping echoed through the hull at one point.

"Woah," Maui said.

Moana heard a large splash and became puzzled.

"What was that?" Moana asked.

"He jumped in the water. Maybe he won't come back this time," Tamatoa said.

"What is he doing, though?" Moana asked.

"I don't know. I can't see through the boat any more than I can see through people." Tamatoa said.

The boat lurched to the side a bit and the scraping stopped. Then Maui resurfaced and climbed back onto the boat, "Underwater rocks," He explained. 

"What are we going to do now?" Moana asked 

"We'll do the same thing," Maui said steadily, "Just keep going the way you are, we'vegot this."

Moans nodded, but she still wasn't sure. Her grip tightened on the oar to the point her knuckles hurt. She could hear Maui running around the boat and diving into the water to keep the boat on course in one piece.

"Knock knock," Tamatoa said.

"Who's there?" Moana asked stiffly.

"Broken spear." Tamatoa said.

"Broken spear who?" Moana asked.

"Nevermind, there's no point," Tamatoa answered.

Moana smiled slightly. His jokes were getting a little better, at least.

"Is it really morning already?" Moana asked.

"Yes, but the fog is starting to thin out as well," Tamatoa said. 

"Are the harpies still there?" Moana asked.

"Yes - go right a bit - there are a lot of them, just lounging about. Not surprising. These kind are more like vultures. They wait for you to die then feast on your corpse," Tamatoa said.

"Eugh," Moana groaned.

"Yeah. They're very lazy, but it makes hunting easy when you live in a place like this," Tamatoa said.

"That's what confuses me," Moana said.

"I know. It's pretty dull and boring, I don't know why they would want to be out here," Tamatoa said.

"No. We're really in Lalotai?" She asked.

"Yeah," Tamatoa said.

"That's so weird. Are there just random ways to end up in Lalotai while out at sea?" Moana asked.

"I don't think so," Tamatoa said. 

"Then how do you think this happened?" Moana asked 

Tamatoa audibly scratched his chin, thinking for a moment and giving a command before responding, "There are a lot of strange things that can happen. Humans turned into gods. Humans turned into monsters. I've seen lots of impossible things. I don't see why the two worlds can't be merging together due to some unknown force."

Moana just hummed. So he didn't really know. But he didn't seem too worried either. He didn't seem too worried in general, anymore. He had lost everything. Moana tried to think about what she would do in his situation.

"I think we're getting close to the end," Tamatoa said.

"Not too far," Maui confirmed. He had been so focused on running around the boat he hadn't spoken for some time.

Moana let out a relieved sigh. This had been much easier than expected. She had been so tense while navigating. Tamatoa only had to give out a few more commands before they were apparently out of the canyon. And she could feel it. The waves felt larger and smoother than the small choppy waves in the valley. She also felt the sun become brighter on her skin

"Oh- oh no. I wasn't expecting that," Tamatoa said, shifting his position perched on her knee. 

"What's wrong?" Moana asked.

Moana could hear footsteps all around her. She shooed Tamatoa off her knee and stood, waving her arms in front of her. She got a hold of someone's arm but they managed to pull out of her grip. 

"I thought when we sailed away the hypnotism would stop, but they're trying to get back to the harpies now," Tamatoa explained.

"What?!" Moana yelled.

It was then she heard the first splash. Moana more frantically searched for people to save, but only found empty air.

"Where are they, Tamataoa, tell me where they are!" Moana demanded.

"Oh, that's new," Tamatoa commented idly.

"Tamatoa!" Moana exclaimed.

"Oh, stop worrying," Tamatoa said, "The ocean has inexplicably become sentient and is returning your friends as we speak,"

Moana listened close. She heard a rushing of water and then an assortment of splashing and thumping. Water spread across the floor as it fell through the cracks in the wood deck. Moana let out a sigh of relief before she felt a strange shifting of the boat under her feet. It raised upward, as if riding on the back of a wave, before lurching forward.

"And now the boat is being carried away by a sentient wave," Tamatoa commented, "That would have been especially helpful earlier."

"Is it safe now?" Moana asked.

"I guess," Tamatoa said.

Moana yanked the blindfold off, regretting the decision as sunlight stung her eyes. She squinted as her pupil adjusted, taking in the blurry outlines around her. The crew were all sprawled out over the boat, exhausted and gasping for air after the ocean had released them. Right away Asoese stood up and began tending to the crew. On the back of the boat, Maui sat down, rolling onto his back and just staying there.

Moana let out a heavy sigh. They were out of trouble  _ again _ . She sat down in the middle of the boat and picked Tamatoa up. His little legs waved as Moana moved him around, so she carefully adjust her grip to better support him and set him down beside her. He must have still felt off because he wavered a moment before settling gown.

Moana really needed to stop getting into trouble as she was starting to rack up a long list of ailments. Her shark monster bite wound had been healed, but now she was infected with some sort of monster transforming illness. She had been battered from her various monster fights and her knee was sore from being trapped in the boat. She bad barely any sleep and now she was just so tired. 

Thankfully it wasn't long before she had been given water and food, which she readily scarfed down. There was little talking, mostly just a few mumbles and coughs. Despite them seeming to have exited the Lalotai portal, the crew were low on moral. Most of the crew were sent to sleep before Asoese reseeded back into his hut, leaving a sparse crew awake to sail the boat.

Moana was about to lay down as well before she remembered Maui, who was still yet to move from where he laid down. She groaned as she pulled herself to her feet and picked her way across the sleeping crew over to where Maui was. He wasn't asleep, apparently, as he squinted up at her when she came close.

"I'm glad you came back in one piece," She said.

Maui sat up and turned to face Moana as she settled by him, "I had to spend a lot of time thinking."

Moana scowled.

"I know what I did was wrong," Maui said slowly, "I don't want to be like that anymore."

"You've made an okay start," Moana said folding her arms, "Saving everyone and all. But you've acted too harshly towards these people for that to redeem you."

"I didn't do it because I wanted to be redeemed, I did it because it was the right thing to do. Monster or not, they're still people," Maui said, "And they've helped us."

"You'll have to apologize to the person you hurt," Moana said.

"First I have to apologize to you," Maui said, "I'm sorry I didn't teach you how to fight sooner."

Moana grimaced, "That's not…"

"Let me finish," Maui broke in, "I'm sorry because I can see how much stress it's caused you. I'm sorry I've been a jerk about which monsters  _ you _ fight and the decisions you make. I'm also sorry I left you to deal with the news on your own, especially when you're so far from home. I only hope I can make up for it all."

Moana nodded, taking a moment to think through all he had said, "I accept your apology," She said.

Maui seemed to lighten up, as if a physical weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"But you've got to act the part, you can't just apologize to make things better," Moana insisted, "Your actions have got to speak for your intentions."

"I will. I promise," Maui said.

He opened his arms and Moana accepted his hug. Hopefully things would actually change now. Change for the better. Both of them were worn out from the day's events and readily went to sleep soon after. 


	9. Chapter Nine: Southern Royal Albatross

* * *

Moana had uncomfortable dreams. Fighting off stinging bugs. Having to walk home from somewhere far, far away. Everyone turning against her for becoming and monster. She woke up often, shifting uncomfortably before eve actually falling asleep again.

Moana startled awake when she felt something tough brush against her palm. She pulled her arm away and snapped her wide eyes towards what had come to attack her. It was Tamatoa. He sheepishly scuttled away from her. And then Moana felt bad.

"Sorry, I must have rolled into you or something," Moana said.

"The boat is so small, there's not much space for everyone," Tamatoa added. He turned away from her and presumably went back to sleep.

How long had Tamatoa been alone? 

She couldn't imagine he got much social interaction hidden away in Lalotail. Moana must have been the only person nice to him recently, possibly ever. Maui and Asoese weren't particularly kind to Tamatoa and everyone else just ignored him. While she wouldn't accept his bad behavior, maybe she could stand to be a little bit nicer to him. Moana reached out and petted Tamatoa, stroking done his spines then along his scales.

It felt like a long time before she woke up again.

The night had passed by now and the crew had recovered, judging by the atmosphere. Malia, Akuma, and Fetu chattering away, and even Maui was tentatively contributing to their conversation. When he noticed Moana sit up, however, he quickly excused himself to greet her.

"Finally up, Sleepy Head?" Maui asked.

Moana blearily pushed her hair out of her face, "Yeah. What time is it?"

"You just missed breakfast!" Maui laughed, offering a hand and helping Moana to her feet.

"Yeash, I slept from the rest of the day and night? I didn't know I was so tired," Moana yawned.

Moana stretched out her sore back before joining the trio she had become familiar with.

"What's up, Girl?" Fetu asked.

"Just up," Moana said, "Feel a bit bad for sleeping in so much, haha."

"Eugh, I'd still be asleep if I could," Malia groaned.

"Asoese likes to keep a tight schedule," Fetu explained, "Everything has to be on time or he goes a little nuts."

"Yeah?" Moana asked apprehensively.

"Don't say that like it's a bad thing," Akuma butted in, "He's a good leader."

"He's a good leader," Malia affirmed, "If it weren't for him we'd all be dead."

"He's saved my life more than I can count," Fetu said.

"I mean more in a general sense. Where would we go when the village casts us out?" Malia said.

"We wouldn't have anywhere to go," Akuma answered.

"The boat is like our second home," Malia said.

"And the crew our second family," Fetu added.

"Unfortunately," Akuma said, giving Fetu a significant look.

"Shut up before I beat you to death," Fetu said, giving him a punch on the arm in return.

Moana shared a laugh with Maui and Malia as Fetu and Akuma started a dramatic stare down.

"You can be a part of our family, Moana," Malia said.

Moana smiled, but shook her head, "I would, but I have my responsibilities to Motunui. Once I find the cure to our affliction, I must go back home and lead them."

"But until then," Malia insisted.

"Okay. Until then," Moana said, "Until then, I can be a part of your family."

Malia then had to break up the conflict between Fetu and Akuma. The two evolved from glaring, to insulting, to wrestling. Malia dove into the mess and broke the two apart, though it was clear it was all in good fun.

What followed was another boring day of being out at sea. At some points Moana helped with boat maintenance, since everyone was so tired out. Maui chipped in a bit as well, but continued to hang back a bit. Around meal time he sat with everyone and talked and he helped clean the crusty blod flecks from the deck. Other than that, though, he looked out on the sea.

The fog was long gone, now, as well as Moana's tense apprehension. Nothing could hide out in the thick blanket and she could see out into the far horizon. The sun could reach her and warm the air now. 

Tamatoa just slept. Moana had gotten used to his nocturnal nature, plus he was still healing from his misuse of medicine. At one point Akuma was caught petting Tamatoa, much to the amusement of Fetu.

"I think you need some new eyes, Akuma. That's not a dog," Fetu chastised.

Akuma just blushed and left Tamatoa alone.

The sun began to set and everyone was awoken earlier than usual. Instead of the change of shifts everyone stood around the hut, where Asoese had climbed on top of. He then began to address the crowd.

"We aren't far from the homeland. We'll arrive during the night. Let's get to writing our letters now while there is still light out," Asoese said.

The crew erupted into excited chatter. Paper and charcoal stumps were passed around. Soon the crew had all found themselves a spot to sit down and write.

"Why do you write letters?" Moana asked, looking over Malia's shoulder.

"After a certain point of infection we aren't allowed on the island, so we write letters for our family and friends. They send someone out on a canoe and Asoese will go to the mainland to deliver the letters and restock on supplies as well as talk to our Chief," Malia explained, "Since his disease was stopped from spreading further, they allow him on the island for a time. You should be allowed there, too, since you're so early on."

Moana hummed and grinned, excitement welling up in her. She'd be back on land tonight. Even if it wasn't her home, it would be a change from the fog and monsters she had dealt with for the past, what, two weeks?

Energized, Moana decided to get her own piece of paper. Her parents had been on her mind for a while now. She wrote enough to fill the page, then felt a little sheepish. There wasn't really a point to writing to her family if they weren't going to be on the island. Even if it was relieving to write out her feelings, it made her feel childish. So she turned the paper over and started to draw on the back instead.

"That's interesting," Maui said, leaning over Moana's shoulder. 

"How come?" Moana asked.

She leaned back, moving her arm around to support herself, but stopped when she almost put her hand on Tamatoa. He had apparently woken up and positioned himself behind her.

"Usually depictions of monsters aren't so," Maui trailed off and rose a brow, "Nice."

Moana stuck her tongue out at home before picking up her drawing and placing it in front of Tamatoa, "I wanted to give my _ friend _ a nice gift."

Tamatoa examined the paper and it took him a moment to realize it was a drawing of himself. He beamed the largest smile Moana had ever seen from him. It was so contagious that Moana started to smile as well.

That seemed to embarrass him, though, as he picked up the drawing and turned away from her, "It doesn't catch my likeness so well, but the attempt is flattering. Even if it isn't very shiny or valuable, I will keep it to respect your efforts."

Moana rolled her eyes and plucked the paper from Tamatoa. He looked at her, offended, but soon realized she was just folding it so he could more easily carry it. When she returned the paper to him he carefully took it back, holding it close.

"Hey, what happened to that coin I gave you?" Moana asked.

"I dropped it when the boat was destroyed," He said bitterly.

"Aw, I'm sorry," She said.

Tamatoa glared at her, "Don't talk to me like that. I don't need your pity."

"Don't talk to _ me _ like that," Moana retorted, "I'm just trying to sympathize with you."

Tamatoa huffed and walked in a little circle before speaking again, "I forgive you for talking down to me. Don't do it 

Moana just looked at Maui in disbelief, though he just shrugged, "He would have bitten it up anyways."

"Well I'm sorry, not everyone can just have tattoos or whatever show up. Some of us must maintain our appearance in our own way," Tamatoa said.

"Wait, so," Moana furrowed her brow as she tried to understand the situation, "You _ eat _ the gold?"

"No," Tamatoa said, "I must mold the gold into a proper shape so it will fit the curvature of my shell, and biting is just the easiest option for me."

"Oh," Moana said, "So that's how you get big again?"

"Yes. I hate being small. This is the worst thing I have ever gone through," Tamatoa complained.

"It is not," Maui said.

"It is!" Tamatoa said.

"Okay," Moana broke in, "But I won't be able to carry you around after that. And you might not even be able to sail with me if you get too big," Moana said.

Tamatoa actually paused to consider it. Not for long, though, "I don't really care. I'm not your pet- uh," He then squinted at her, "What's your name, again?"

"Shut up, Tamatoa, you know what her name is," Maui said.

"No. I actually don't," Tamatoa said, 

"Oh," Maui looked genuinely taken aback at this, "It's Moana."

"Anyways. As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, I have my own life to consider. While I would just love to continue being tossed about by monsters, I'm much more accustomed to my life of luxury where I could lay with my treasures, unburdened by predators, have my food delivered to me, and be left alone."

"That's fair," Moana said. She knew if she let it bother her it would only urge him to continue being rude, "But maybe you'll change your mind."

"Maybe I won't," Tamatoa responded.

"Maybe Tamatoa will 'accidentally' be eaten by a monster before then," Maui suggested.

Tamatoa glared at him, "I wouldn't go throwing such suggestions around."

"Or what? You gonna try and eat me?" Maui asked smugly. 

"I would if you continue being so incredibly antagonistic," Tamatoa said.

"I'm being antagonistic?" Msui practically howled, "Excuse me, but-" 

"Stop fighting," Moana groaned, "I'm trying to relax while we aren't being bombarded by monsters."

"Tamatoa is a monster," Maui pointed out.

"But he isn't dangerous," Moana retorted.

"I am too dangerous," Tamatoa insisted.

"Not dangerous enough to know how to speak right," Maui said.

"Why come it bothers you?" Tamatoa asked innocently.

"Why come you're so annoying?" Maui asked

Moana let out a loud, annoyed sigh and that seemed to get the point across as they finally stopped fighting. Maui decided to take the time to stretch his legs. He got up and walked around a bit before striking up a conversation with some of the crew. Now that Moana was alone with Tamatoa, she could ask a question that had come to mind earlier.

"Tamatoa. Why did Maui take that coin from you when we met in Lalotai?" She asked, quiet so Mahi couldn't hear her.

Tamatoa grimaced, "Because," he hesitated, "There's a lot of reasons," Tamatoa said, clearly trying not to give too much away, "He gave it to me a long time ago, but I guess he wanted it back."

"Why would he want it back?" Moana asked.

"I don't know," Tamatoa snipped back at her, "I doubt many reasonable thoughts go through his thick skull."

It was clearly a sore spot for him, and to prevent any further tension she dropped the subject. It wasn't that important. 

A sharp whistle cut through the air and everyone looked up. It wasn't long before the crew broke out into excited chattering and gathering towards the front of the boat. Moana got up and joined the crowd to see what everyone was excited for.

On the horizon was an island. It was much less mountainous than Motunui, but still had hills rising in the distance covered in lush greenery. Huts were built across the shore, some of which were built on raised platforms. There were also copious amounts of boats scattered across the beach.

Moana's attention was brought away from the beach when she saw Malia from the corner of her eye. Her brows were furrowed and she tightly gripped the several pages of paper she had written on. Her eyes glistened and she stared at the island, forlorn. Malia wiped at her face before folding her letter and heading to the hut where Asoese was accepting letters from the crew, carefully placing then in a bag.

"Is that everyone?" He called.

A chorus of affirmations echoed from the crew. Satisfied, Asoese ducked back into the hut. A few seconds later he came back out to tie back the curtain. Moana then got up to help Asoese with whatever it was that he was doing. As Moana approached the hut to peak inside she had to jump aside as Asoese shoved a crate out.

"Oh! Excuse me," He said.

"Don't worry, what are you doing? Can I help?" Moana asked.

"We need new supplies, so we must bring back the empty crates. I'm just moving these to the front of the boat to make my job easier," Asoese explained.

"Got it!" Moana said.

She then set herself to pushing the crates with him. Some of the other crew were lifting crates and barrels out of the below deck storage. Maui tried to help her, but she suggested he help the others instead. He was a little apprehensive at first, but Moana managed to convince him. 

At one point Moana overheard him talk with one of the crew.

"Hey. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for roughing you up earlier," Maui said.

"What? Nah, no worries there, Mate. I deserve what's coming to me when I get like that," The guy said.

"I was letting out my anger about a different situation on you, which wasn't right," Maui elaborated. 

"I was just going a bit crazy," He said.

The two then shared a laugh. _ Progress _. Moana thought. She didn't have to twist his arm for him to apologize this time.

Eventually over a dozen crates and barrels were clustered around one end of the platform. Moana sat on the top of one crate to catch her breath as Maui talked away with some of the other crew. It had become night again and the huts had lights flickering inside them. It was then that she noticed a boat making it's way over to them.

"Who's that?" Moana asked Asoese.

"Our transportation. We aren't allowed to sail up to the island. I must take a second boat to deliver these letters, talk with our chief, and restore our supplies," He explained.

"Geeze. They're that paranoid about you guys?" Moana asked.

"Yes. Monsters are prevalent around these parts, Moana. Our chief may be paranoid, but it is to keep us all safe," He explained.

Moana looked back at the island with a new perspective. She couldn't imagine outcasting her own citizens for falling ill. Having to leave her family and friends behind. Eventually starting an entirely new life. It wasn't even be her fault if she was infected from fighting off a monster to protect others. 

"You and Maui are welcome to visit the island as well, if you like," Asoese suggested.

Moana nodded. She wanted to take advantage of the opportunity that the other crew no longer had. Maybe she could learn something new as well. New customs or traditions. Some insight she may not get from the people on her home island.

"Oh, uhm. Could I bring Tamatoa with me as well?" She asked.

Asoese scratched his chin, looking at the steadily approaching boat in thought, "I do not know. But you can still ask. Our chief is even more forgiving than me at times, but he has many more people to consider. None of which are infected."

"Ah," Moana sighed.

"He will be safe here, if that is what you are worried about," Asoese said.

Moana hesitated for a moment before speak what was on her mind, "I don't want him to feel like," She paused, "Like I abandoned him or anything."

"That wouldn't be very reasonable," Asoese said.

"Well I don't know him very well, yet, but he can be pretty dramatic," Moana said.

"Dramatic. That sounds a lot like Maui," Asoese said.

"Ha, what? No way," Moana laughed.

"Yes. You've only become used to it by now, but he is very dramatic, much like Tamatoa from what I've seen. I've known him to throw a fit over a small rain shower," Asoese said.

Moana couldn't help but laugh at that. She looked back out over towards the village again. The boat had almost pulled alongside their own by now. Moana quickly found Tamatoa, who had only just woken back up, and stood beside Maui.

She was ready to board the second boat and start the next leg of her adventure.


	10. Chapter Ten: Madagascar Lemur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I caved and added an illustration to the last chapter, haha.

After loading the crates and barrels onto the second boat, Asoese, Maui, Moana, and Tamatoa departed from the crew towards the village. The villagers who managed the second boat greeted them, but looked at Moana apprehensively. Asoese was also avoided by the crew. They readily fawned over Maui, though.

"Oh, it's nothing, really," Maui laughed, "It's not for the fame and glory, that's just what I like to do, helping others."

Moana rolled her eyes. That was at  _ least  _ partially a lie. She wouldn't ruin his good mood, though.

"Where are we going?" Tamatoa asked.

"Crazy," Moana said, getting a little laugh from Tamatoa.

"Hauti," Asoese answered.

Tamatoa rotated the folded piece of paper in his claws idly, "I think I recognize that place."

"That is not surprising," Asoese said.

"Bold of you to assume I would know your little village just because it is big or popular," Tamatoa said, "For all you know I could have just overheard the name from someone I smashed to bits."

"Chill out," Moana sighed.

"That is not what I was implying at all," Asoese said calmly, "But if you want to jump to conclusions I suppose I can't stop you."

Tamatoa was about to throw back another clever retort, but was stopped when Moana was yanked into a headlock by Maui.

"Now  _ this  _ girl has some skills. I taught her everything she knows, but I can say she's a quick learner" Maui praised.

The new crew looked at her skeptically with raised brows and Moana gave them a tight smile in return.

"Actually, I've taught myself a lot," Moana said, trying and failing to free herself.

"Don't joke around, you'd be incredibly dead if it weren't for me," Maui said.

"Well you would still be stuck on that island if it weren't for me," Moana retorted.

Maui then aggressively tussled her hair. Moana shouted and managed to squirm out of his grip but the damage was already done. Her hair was a mess and the top of her head was sore.

The new crew just gave her an even more skeptical so she awkwardly smiled before slinking back to Asoese. 

"Don't let him do that to you," Tamatoa protested, "You need to show him not to mess with you."

"Tamatoa, he could crush my skull with one hand," Moana said.

They were getting close to the island now but Moana hefted herself onto a crate to rest her feet.

"That shouldn't stop you. Just get a pointy stick and skewer him," Tamatoa said.

"Nope," Moana said.

"Yep," Tamatoa said.

"Nope nope," Moana said.

"Yep yep," Tamatoa said.

"You are very annoying," said Asoese.

"At least I can see with both my eyes," Tamatoa snorted.

Calmly, Asoese took a hold of Tamatoa by the top of his shell and plucked him out of Moana's grasp with ease. He then dangled Tamagoa out over the boat's edge.

"Woah, this is a bit of an overreaction," Tamatoa said frantically.

"What? Why don't you just fight him back? Just get a pointy stick and stab him," Moana teased.

Asoese and Moana shared a laugh. He set Tamatoa safely back down on a crate and Tamatoa quickly scuttled back over to Moana, giving Asoese a nasty look.

"You had that coming," Moana said, giving a pat on the back of his shell.

Tamatoa just huffed.

When the boat arrived, a group of villagers met them on the beach along with someone who appeared to be the chief. Along with his skirt he had a red tappa cloth draped over his shoulder and a necklace made of many monster teeth and treasures. He also had a gigantic friendly smile spread across his face.

The first thing the chief did was pull Asoese into a bone-crushing hug, "Ah, it's so good to see you again!" He said.

"It's good to see you too," Asoese said, cracking the first smile Moana had seen from him.

"And I see you bring Maui with you. Great blessings!" The chief said, clapping a hand on Maui's shoulder, "And who's this?" He asked Moana.

"I am Moana," She said, returning the chief's contagious smile, "I am future chief of Motonui and I am the protector of the ocean and all its creatures."

"Motunui?" The chief asked.

"It's pretty far from here," Maui said, "They haven't had contact with this region for about one thousand years."

"Ah, I see! Well in that case, I will introduce myself," The chief said, "I am Kyron, chief of Hauti. Asoese is a dear friend of mine and I've spent much of my life trying to find the cure to what has caused his affliction."

"It's great to meet you, Chief Kyron," Moana said, shaking his hand.

Chief Kyron frowned. He was looking at something and when Moana followed his gaze she saw it was Tamatoa, who she held in the crook of her elbow. He took a quick step back from her, his face turning serious.

"What is that?" He asked.

"This is Tamatoa," Moana said uncertainly.

"That is a monster," Chief Kyron insisted.

"He's a good monster," Moana said, "Or- well- he's not dangerous. He hasn't hurt anyone now that he's small, he can't."

"Please understand, but we must deal with monsters differently than how you do. Monsters must be kept outside of the village to keep everyone safe," Kyron said and thought it hurt her, she understood.

"I understand that, but he can't fend for himself as is," Moana pleaded, "Pkease don't make me leave him."

"Send him back to the boat. You don't have to set him off into the wilderness, but he cannot stay here," Kyron demanded.

Moana looked around at the faces around her. Kyron, stern and serious. Asoese, who had a strange look Moans could discern. Then Tamatoa, who looked back at her as if nothing was wrong.

"Why don't you just put him in a crab trap?" Maui suggested leisurely.

He sauntered over to a fishing boat that had been dragged up the beach to escape the tide. He picked up a crab trap made of wood and netting, shaped like half of a cylinder. It was on the smaller side, but plenty big for Tamatoa to fit inside.

Kyron looked on skeptically.

"It is a good plan, as it will keep him from walking about freely. But Moana, you must still keep a close eye on him," Asoese said before turning to Kyron, "I trust her to keep him under control."

He thought a moment longer before nodding, "Okay, I will allow it."

Moana let out a sigh of relief, but Tomatoa became rigid. With Maui's help she maneuvered Tamatoa deep into the trap before taking the trap into her arms. It was much more unwieldy to carry around, but when she looked inside she realized she wasn't the only one bothered.

Tamatoa had backed himself into a corner and looked extremely upset by his new environment. Instead of complaining and making a scene, however, he was quiet. He acted more afraid than any of the times they had been attacked by monsters.

"Alright then. Now that that's settled, why don't we get going?" Kyron said, "Come, we'll get you a nice meal."

Chief Kyron, Asoese, and the rest of the villagers started walking up the beach towards where torchlight glowed in the distance. Moana hesitated for a moment, giving Tamatoa a second look. When Maui gave her a raised brow she just shook her head and followed the rest into the village.

There was a lot different about Hauti compared to Motonui. Many of the houses closer to the beach were raised on stilts while some of those closer to the center had clay bricks around the base of the walls. The paths were also covered in gravel, though Moana had grown accustomed to walking over rough surfaces by now. The air also had the scent of freshly fallen rain.

As they walked, families poked their heads out of their huts or turned away from their bonfires to wave at Maui and the others. Most people looked polite and kind, but they kept their distance. Some of them looked particularly excited to see them, but Moana suspected that was because Maui accompanied them. 

Eventually Kyron led them to a large hut that was presumably for meetings and such. Before they could enter, however, Moana was startled by several people rushing by her. Asoese was practically tackled by three kids of varying age. He winced as he tried to regain his balance then let out a hearty laugh. A woman joined the group and she gave Asoese a kiss. It must be his family. The kids broke off into unorganized speaking before Asoese held up a hand, silencing them.

"I must take care of grown up stuff first. Here," Asoese removed the bag of letters from his shoulder and tossed it into the eager hands of the kids, "Help your mother deliver these letters."

The kids giggled excitedly before digging through the bag. They all pulled out their own letter before jetting off through the village to their destinations. Asoese and the woman shared a smile before she left to give out the letters as well.

Inside the hut was a large open space with a crescent shaped table with short legs at the far end. Few torches lit the room, leaving it to look even more empty than it already was. The group settled around the table, Moana sitting at one tip of the crescent with two of Kyron's friends sitting on the other tip. They didn't settle long before Kyron sent them off to get food.

Moana set Tamatoa's cage on the table and peeked inside again. The drawing she gave to him was abandoned on the other side of the trap and he still huddled in the corner. Moana frowned and wiggled a finger in to poke his shell, though he didn't react.

"So Moana, I had not heard of Motunui for a long time, what has kept you guys silent for so long?" Kyron asked.

Moana took the time to quickly explain the history of Motunui. Starting from how they had once been voyagers before the boats stopped coming back. Generations later and Moana set out to return the heart of Te Fiti when her dark infection spread for enough out to reach the island. Maui was sure to interject so he could speak on his heroic bravery, but eventually Moana managed to get out their whole story. It felt like every time she explained it the story got longer and longer.

The food arrived and Moana couldn't help but dig in right away. Being able to eat nice, warm, and incredibly fresh food was a welcome respite from the preserved meat, dried fruits, and cold fish she dealt with out at sea. Moana snuck Tamatoa a few pieces of food, but he continued to ignore everything around him.

While they ate, Kyron explained his side of the story. Hauti and the other few islands nearby were much more aware of the blight spread from Te Fiti. The darkness infected land and any creature that spent time in it was turned into a monster, similar to how being bitten by a monster would infect them. They spent generations searching for Maui and the heart, but eventually their search died down as generations passed. They hoped that the monsters would die down when Te Fiti's heart was returned, but apparently it had only become worse.

"Any new infected?" Asoese asked.

"No. The attacks have increased, but so has their organization, so when someone is hurt in a fight," Kyron trailed off and Moana could easily finish his sentence.

When someone is hurt in a fight with a monster  _ they die. _

"We'll continue talking in the morning" Kyron said quickly.

"Yes," Asoese agreed.

Moana looked up at the two men, wondering what had brought their meeting to such an abrupt end. They both avoided her gaze, though, and stood. These people were so weird.

Moana fidgeted with Tamatoa's cage again as they exchanged goodbyes.

"How is Tamatoa?" Kyron asked uneasily.

Before Moana could answer, the female guard on the other end of the table immediately perked up, "Tamatoa? You have Tamatoa with you?"

Moana instinctively pulled the trap closer to her, "Yes, but he isn't feeling well."

The woman leaned forward but was stopped when the man next to her placed a firm hand on the back of her neck, like controlling a petulant animal. With a tight smile she sat back and neatly folded her hands on the table.

"Come," Asoese called sharply.

Moana obediently stood, picking up the trap and holding it close. Maui placed an assuring hand on her shoulder as they walked out. She held the gaze of the woman and she felt something  _ wrong  _ in her eyes. Something wasn't right and Moana held the trap even closer.

As they stepped out of the hut droplets of rain drizzled down on them. Maui grumbled and held his arms above his head to cover his hair. 

Asoese lead them through the quiet village. Torches had burnt out and everyone had gone in their respective homes. The night was dark, but Moana could still see the boat stationed out on the horizon. The sounds of the chattering crew and rolling waves were long gone, replaced by crunching gravel and pattering rain. An uncomfortably silence she had forgotten about during her time with the monster crew.l

Eventually Asoese led them into a small hut. It was a little dusty and clearly hadn't been lived in for some time. Two hammocks were hung up between posts and an unlit torch mounted between them.

"This is your home for now," Asoese said.

"A bit simple, don't you think?" Maui said, "I mean you've got a future chief and demi god here, yo."

"We've done well enough without you for a thousand years and Moana is a chief from an island far away," Asoese snipped, "This is better than sleeping under a rotting tree."

Before Maui could start a fight, Moana sat on one of the hammocks, "This will do. It's better than sleeping outside or on the boat."

"Good. Good night. I will see you in the morning," Asoese said before he turned on his heel and marched away. 

Maui's lower jaw jutted out as he glared at the empty doorway. Moana set Tamatoa's cage on the floor by her hammock before gingerly laying down.

"Are you going to the meeting tomorrow?" Moana asked tentatively.

One of the things mentioned over dinner was some big meeting the cluster of islands had. Every time it was held, people from all the nearby islands as well as Asoese would attend. Apparently it was a pretty important event.

"I dunno, sounds like it would be boring. Just talking about politics," Maui said.

"I think I'll go," Moana said, "Maybe I'll learn something about the portals or the monsters."

"Have fun," Maui said dismissively.

"I also want to see that girl again," Moana said. 

Maui turned in his hammock to look at her.

"She's weird," Moana said.

"You're weird too, so that suits you," Maui said.

Moana glared at him, which earned her a laugh.

"I'm serious, though," Moana insisted.

"Well, if it means a lot to you, I'll keep an eye on her as well," Maui said, going back to relaxing in his hammock, "Go to sleep. This might be the only time you can relax for a while. You don't know what's coming."

He was right. Somehow she had gotten herself wrapped up in one big mess. Moana adjusted herself in the hammock and closed her eyes. Then, before long, she was asleep.

Moana woke up to a weird nose. She opened her eyes and it was still only night time. She rolled onto her side and tried to go back to sleep. The noise didn't stop. She was too tired to investigate, so she instead listened closer to try and figure out what it was.

It was a quiet voice.

" _ I've got to get out. I've got to be free. I've got to get out. I've got to be free. _ "

Moana recognized the voice and realized it was Tamatoa. But it was  _ weird _ . His voice was low and garbled. It was also accompanied by the methodical  _ tck tck tck _ sound he made when he walked around. She hoped he'd quiet down but at least a minute went by without him quieting down. 

Then there was no way she could fall asleep. 

A dragging noise started but shortly after began the shrieking. Moana immediately sat up straight, but the hammock swung wildly under her due to the sudden movement. Her heart raced as she looked to where the noise came from. Tamatoa had just started going nuts, but Moana soon noticed what had caused it.

The dark form of a monkey was clinging onto the trap, but when Moana sat up it froze, snapping its head towards her. Moana stared wide eyed at the beast as Tamatoa continued to shriek and bang around in the trap. The monster then spread its large, bat-like wings and swiftly flew out of the hut.

It had probably assumed it held crabs caught at sea, an easy meal for such a small monster.

Moana stumbled out of her hammock to chase the monster, but she couldn't see it. She walked around the hut but there was no trace of the monster at all. When Moana returned to the hut Maui was awake, squinting around to see what was causing the noise.

Tamatoa continued to shriek and scream. He wildly scrambled about the box, smacking into the sides without regard. He threw himself around so heavily that he actually managed to tip the trap over. It was a harsh reminded that Tamatoa was a monster and not just an innocent talking crab Moana had become fond of.

For the first time since she had met him, Moana was afraid of Tamatoa.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Cymothoa Exigua

Tamatoa continue to shriek and scramble about wildly. Moana tried to soothe him, calling his name, but he didn't calm down at all. She then decided to do something she really did not want to do. Moana thrust her hand into the trap, managing to grab one of Tamatoa's antenna. 

He immediately whipped around, biting hard on her fingers and clamping a claw down on her hand. Moana cried out in pain and that seemed to snap him out of it or at least catch him off guard long enough for Moana to free herself.

She held her hand close to herself, reluctantly looking down to gauge the damage. She was bleeding slightly from the bite. Thankfully she was already infected. The side of her hand was also red and starting to swell, though she flexed her hand a few times and figured it wasn't seriously injured.

Swiftly, Moana picked up the trap with her good hand and left the hut. Tamatoa had stopped shrieking now, but still scrambled around in the trap. Some of the villagers were sleepily peeking out of their huts, but seemed satisfied with the lack of danger and went back to sleep. Moana remembered her way back to the beach and stumbled down the wet sand. 

Now out of the village, Moana boldly reached in the trap again and withdrew Tamatoa. He seemed out of it, not really reacting to anything around him. When she set him down on the sand he came back to life. His antenna perked up and he scuttled around in a wide arch before pausing. 

Tamatoa looked from side to side before turning to face Moana. He almost seemed surprised to see her. When his eyes settled on her injured hand, which she continued to cradle, regret visibly washed over him.

"I did that," He said.

"Yeah," Moana said passively. She sat down on the sand, cross legged.

Tamatoa was quiet for a moment, "I'm sorry. I wasn't in my right mind," he then began to pace in a small circle, "That can never happen again. That's the worst feeling. Ever. To feel trapped again. Never again."

This time Moana believed his dramatic statement.

Tamatoa then stopped, facing her again, "I can't go back in there."

"You don't have to," Moana said, "We'll just go back to the boat this time."

Tamatoa glanced towards the boat that still settled on the horizon. Torches were lit, illuminating the crew still still moving about. They looked to be having a festive party. 

"You were excited to come to the island," Tamatoa said.

"Eh. It's not as great as I thought," Moana dismissed, hugging her knees to her chest, "Everything is different, but it's also so similar. It's like being in a bad dream where no one recognizes me. They all look at me like an outsider, which I guess I am. Here I'm not really one of them, but on the boat they took me in like. Like family."

"Yeah," Tamatoa said, "I understand."

"It was nice to be on land for a while, but I can just go back to stay with the crew I know instead of trying to endear myself to an entire network of villages. I can just drill Asoese about what they say in the meeting later," Moana said. 

As if on queue, Asoese spoke up, "Leaving so soon?"

Moana jumped and Tamatoa shot over to stand by her feet, "Oh, you scared me!" She said.

Asoese padded down the beach towards her and kneeled, giving her a raised brow and a significant look, "Show me your hand," He commanded 

Moana held out her injured hand and he took it carefully. Her fingers had stopped bleeding by now, the bite wasn't that deep. He gingerly poked at the swollen flesh before seeming satisfied, "Why are you out so late?"

"Tamatoa-" Moana paused, "He had a nightmare. I wanted to take him out for some fresh air."

"I see," Asoese said, but Moana could tell he knew she was lying.

"Why are  _ you _ out here?" Moana asked.

Asoese groaned as he sat down next to Moana, "I find it hard to sleep at night sometimes."

"I noticed that," Moana said. She crossed her legs again and allowed Tamatoa to crawl onto her knee where she could start petting him once more, "You always sleep in the hut during the day and come out at night."

"It's my nature, I suppose. Or the influence from my monster affliction," Asoese explained absentmindedly.

Moana looked at him and noticed how he gazed out at the boat. He looked so sad and tired, weathered and beaten. Not just that, but he also looked guilty. 

"Is there another reason you're out?" Moana asked tentatively.

"It's a horrible feeling. Being able to come here and see my wife and children when they cannot. It's an immense privilege that I don't deserve compared to some of them," Asoese said, "They work hard and have so much hope, yet it has been years and I have still found no cure for them."

"I feel like that sometimes. Why did the ocean choose me? Do I deserve to be friends with a demi god? Do I deserve to be a chief? It's hard, and sometimes I feel guilty about these things that were gifted to me, but I can't change it. I can't feel bad for the things that are given to me if I use those things to help others," Moana said, "And you're definitely the best thing that has happened to these people. You are all the have. They really appreciate you, Asoese."

He looked out over the sea in silence. Then he stood, "So. You said you wanted to go back to the boat?" He made his way to a small fishing boat left out on the beach, "Let's get going. Don't think about helping sail with your hand in that state."

They quickly sailed between the beach and the boat, the crew happily greeting them once they drew close.

"Back so soon?" Malia asked, a bit tipsy from the festivities the crew had been having.

"I decided I didn't much like it there," Moana said, carefully climbing onto the platform of the larger boat.

Malia sauntered over with Fetu and Akuma nearby. She tossed an arm around Moana's shoulder with familiarity, "You know, I agree. Hauti sucks, but Mauko is so much better."

Moana laughed lightly, "Where's that?" 

"Hauit is the middle of this island cluster. It's on the end over there," Malia said, waving off to the horizon.

"Well I just don't really know anyone there like I know you guys. And the weirdest thing is that there was this girl with Chief Kyron who was really interested in Tamatoa," Moana said.

"Not weird entirely. He's well known around here," Malia drawled.

Fetu opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"Her name was Mereli," Asoese said.

Malia stood up straight suddenly, stiff. Moana noticed Akuma and Fetu each other a puzzled look. Malia looked down at Asoese, who had not gotten off the small boat, with a stern expression, "What island?"

"Mauko." 

"Wanderer?"

"Native."

The conversation passed by with such speed that Moana barely caught it. What she did catch, however, was that something was wrong.

"Moana, did you notice anything strange about Mereli and the man next to her?" Asoese asked.

Moana furrowed her brow and concentrated a moment, calling on her memory, "Well they sat really close to each other and Kyron seemed a little uneasy by them. It was like they were really friendly with him, but he didn't really know them."

"Anything else?" Asoese asked.

Moana chewed on her lower lip as she thought, "They both wore similar necklaces. A green crystal in the shape of a hooked fang."

"Yes," Asoese said.

"Who did Kyron say they were?" Malia asked.

"They came in place of the chief of Mauko," Asoese explained so both Malia and Moana could understand, "Not entirely surprising, as she has been sick for our past two visits, but usually her son came. It seems like a sudden change."

"Don't trust them," Malia quickly whispered.

"Woah, what? What's going on?" Moana asked

"It's a lot to explain," Asoese said uncertainly, "But these people don't seem trustworthy at all. I'll must keep an eye on them during the stay."

Suddenly Moana didn't want to stay on the boat anymore. She wanted to be on the island with Asoese and Maui. Even if she didn't know Kyron that much she wanted to be sure he was okay too. Moana took a step towards Asoese and the boat, then paused, looking down at Tamatoa.

She had a hard decision to make, "Tamatoa. Will you be okay if you stay on the boat without me?"

His antenna perks up at attention, "You don't want to stay with me?"

"It's not that," Moana assured, "But I want to help Asoese figure out what's wrong on the island, but I know you can't stay in the trap."

Tamatoa looked up at her with an uncertain expression.

"It won't be bad. You've got a whole bunch of people to keep you safe and fed. Maui wont tease you and I'm sure you can find things to do on your own," Moana said.

Tamatoa looked at Malia, who gave him a wide smile, "I guess," He said slowly.

"I'll be back. I promise. I won't abandon you," Moana assured.

"Okay," He said.

Moan smiled before offering him to Malia, who held her hands out readily. She set Tamatoa in her hands and he shifted uncomfortably. 

"Hey. Tamatoa. Do you know why you never see fish hiding up in trees?" Moana asked.

"Why?" Tamatoa asked.

"Because they're really good at it," Moana answered with a wink.

Akuma, who had been quietly lingering behind Malia, started laughing. Tamatoa also laughed a little, looking to be a little bit more at ease. Moana gave Malia and thumbs up and she gave her a nod in return.

Moana looked up when she felt a few drops of rain fall against her skin, "Ah, looks like it's going to rain again," She looked back to Tamatoa with a reassuring smile, "Better keep this safe, then," She said, offering to him the folded up drawing that she had snagged from the trap earlier.

He carefully accepted the paper before Moana hopped back on the boat. Then she was brought back to the island with Asoese. As she left, though, she couldn't keep herself from glancing back at the boat now and then.

"You're worried about him," Asoese observed.

"Unfortunately," Moana sighed.

"He'll forgive you for leaving him behind," Asoese assured.

"I guess. At least I won't have to deal with him bickering with Maui," Moana said 

Asoese laughed lightly, "I'm surprised they don't fight still," Asoese said.

"It's because I keep them apart," Moana then looked to Asoese with curiosity, "You know about them fighting?"

"Everyone knows about them," Asoese gave her a surprised raise of a brow, "You don't know? No one told you?"

"No," Moana said, uncertain.

"You haven't even heard the legends," Asoese mused, though it was more for himself, "No. That makes sense now."

"What makes sense?" Moana asked, growing annoyed of vague Asoese was being.

"You were not told that legend. No. If you were, you would know why Tamatoa and Maui hate each other so much," Asoese said.

Back on the beach, Asoese beckoned her to follow him. They walked through the quiet town, lit only by moonlight until Asoese lit a torch and entered a large hut shaped like two perpendicular lines.

Inside, died tapas with patterns and images were hung up in a tight row all down the walls. There were so many of them that an additional wall was built that divided the four halls in half. Asoese lead her through the hall of tapas to a specific section, as if he had memorized the location.

"Do you know what the taotao mo'na are?" Asoese asked.

"Yes, ancient spirits of our ancestors," Moana answered.

"This story is about one of them," He said.

When Asoese stopped he held the torch out to cast light on a chosen tapa. On it was the visage of a man with a crown, a monster to his right and a human to his left.

"This is the legends of the King of Monsters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you!
> 
> So this chapter marks the end of part one! Next part takes place on this little set of islands and leads up to some big things! First, though, we gotta find out more about Tamatoa. Can't wait to see what you guys thing!


	12. Ch. 12: The King of Monsters

Monsters and humans have not always hated each other so much. At times they could live alongside each other without fighting. Sometimes they could even hope to be friends. This was not one of those times, however. For at the time there was tension between the monsters and humans. Many fights broke out, but never escalated to full on war.

During this time, the chief of Mauko had several children. Two of them died while fighting monsters. One of them died of an illness. Another died at sea. That left the chief with two children, the older was scrawny and polite while the younger was strong and courageous.

The older brother was eager to rule the tribe when his mother stepped down, but she laughed right in his face.

"I'd sooner name a mouse my heir," She proclaimed, "I'll name you heir as soon as you can bring peace between us and the monsters."

Angered by his denial, and determined to prove her wrong, the boy set off to prove her wrong. He wasn't a very skilled wayfinder or scavenger or fighter. The boy nearly died on his first night out at sea, but Maui found him in the waves and rescued him. It took him time, but Maui taught the boy how to sail and survive. Over time, the boy grew into a man and he became friends with Maui. Together they sailed and Maui helped the man on his quest to bring peace with the monsters. 

He started small.

One day, while the man was fishing, two small monsters came for the fish he had caught. Instead of shooing them away or killing the monsters, he welcomed them and shared his bounty readily. When a wild monster was caught in a tangled net, he freed it and healed its injuries. When a baby had been separated from its mother he dedicated day and night to helping it find its way home.

Eventually he came face to face with a gigantic eel-like monster. It had become gravely injured after fighting another monster and was to weak to care for itself. The two monsters had been fighting over a crown. The man helped the eel monster heal, brought him food and medicines, and the monster revealed he was the king of the monsters.

The monster wore on his head a golden crown with a magic gem that gave him powers beyond human comprehension. The crown gave healing powers and an ability to convince and control others. With the King of Monsters in the man's debt, he gifted the crown to the man, The crown's power would only work if gifted willingly or won through a battle to the death.

The King of Monsters also vowed to never attack a human and that the man could always count on him as a friend. He quickly took advantage of this and asked the King of Monsters to accompany him to his home. The man could now prove himself to his mother by having befriended the King of Monsters.

Over the years he spent at sea, the man had changed. He was strong, clever, and mature. He had made friends with both gods and monsters and was no longer the weak child he once was.

The man and the King of Monsters swiftly traveled back to Mauko with the King of Monster's entourage and guards. Upon arriving the villagers were distraught. They thought they were under attack by monsters! But before any fighting could begin the man proclaimed his great deeds to his mother, but she only laughed in his face.

"You've spent your life running a fool's errand, Boy," She said, "Humans and monsters can never be friends."

Hoping to change his mother's mind, he called upon the King of Monsters. But as the king approached, there was a misunderstanding and the humans attacked, prompting the monsters to attack in return. A great, bloody battle was held on the beach that day. Many humans and monsters were killed. Claws, teeth, daggers, and spears were coated in blood from the many lives taken. The fighting didn't stop until the King of Monsters and the Chief of Mauko noticed that the man had died while trying to stop the fight.

Both sides distraught with his death, and disgusted with their actions, the humans and the monsters returned to their homes. Everyone held shame in their hearts for what damage they had caused. The King's Crown was lost during the battle, but it is said it will return to the one deserving of its power.

\----

Unsatisfied with the death of his friend, Maui set out to resurrect the man. He flew to the spirit world where he found the soul of the man, drifting aimlessly deep in the realm. When he asked the goddess of the spirit world to bring the man back to life she refused. Those who have died must stay dead.

But Maui set out to trick her.

While the goddess slept, Maui snuck back until the spirit realm and found his friend again. Maui urged the man to leave with him, but the man did not want to go. To him, he had nothing left to do as his whole life's purpose had been for nothing.

With the man resisting, Maui pulled him along anyways. They nearly escaped the spirit realm when the goddess of the realm was awoken. She was enraged by Maui's insolence and cast a curse.

With the wind on his heels, Maui ran as fast as he could to escape the curse. But when he escaped the realm of spirits, he paused. The man had been turned into his spirit animal, a crab. When the curse caught up to them, the man was cursed to be a true monster. He became greedy and self centered, unable to control his lust for power and wealth. The man in his new form was given the name Tamatoa.

Maui begged for the curse to be undone but the goddess refused and closed the gate to the realm of spirits, where no one could ever go again.

Maui presented Tamatoa to the tribe of Mauko, but they did not readily accept him.

The hatred for monsters was strong, but so was their guilt for causing his death. No one could look at him the same, though, for he was a monster. Tamatoa was not one of them anymore.

Maui empathized with how Tamatoa had been rejected by his village and took him on adventures once again. It took time, but eventually Tamatoa moved passed the event and became happy once more. But he was different. The curse caused a shift in his personality and over time, it developed into a worsening condition.

Tamatoa hoarded gold and treasures and with them he grew larger. Over time he grew to be the size of a pig, then the size of a man, then the size of a boat. He grew to be so large that he could not travel with his dear friend Maui. But Maui could not live a life in one place and he had to leave Tamatoa behind. He came to visit Tamatoa, but over time the visits dwindled.

Scorned and alone, Tamatoa made his home in Lalotai. It was there where he became real monster.

In Lalotai, Tamatoa encountered the eel monster once again. He explained to Tamatoa that since the battle on the beach that the monsters had been in turmoil. Without the crown, there was no king and without a king, none of them knew who to follow. They fought over who should rule the monsters but no one would agree.

The eel monster then took Tamatoa into his clan of monsters. There, Tamatoa was cared for in exchange for his human-like knowledge and intelligence. They gathered about themselves those outcast and intelligent. They found magical treasures, stealing them from ancient temples and humans who crossed their path. The clan of monsters grew in power as they gathered a following and soon they were rivals to the most powerful monsters in all of Lalotai. 

But things could not always go so well.

The eel monster died. He was killed in battle by a rival. Tamatoa swore revenge and by this time he was so embroiled in rage over his sour life he killed the murderous monster without remorse. From then on Tamatoa was revealed for being clever, intelligent, and powerful. The other monsters revered him.

Tamatoa became the king of monsters.

\----------

Maui, hearing of the monsters choosing a king, came in to break up the moment of organization. With the monsters working together they were a deadly force and with a murderous ruler they could not be trusted. Maui set out to kill the new King of Monsters so that the monsters would fall into chaos once again.

Maui confronted the King of Monsters only to find it was once his dear friend Tamatoa, and eventually their conflict evolved into a fight. They fought viciously until Maui was wounded and Tamatoa's leg had been ripped off. Tamatoa was practically invincible, but Maui had a magical fish hook gifted from the gods, and that allowed him to injure Tamatoa. Distraught with losing who had once been a dear friend, and weak from the battle, Maui fled.

Seizing the moment of weakness, one of Tamatoa's rivals spoke out against him.

"How could he ever be the King of Monsters? Not only is he weak, but he is not even a monster, he is a human that looks like a monster. Humans and monsters can never be friends."

And from then on, Tamatoa was rejected by the monsters and rejected by the humans and rejected by his one true living friend. For a thousand years, Tamatoa hid away in Lalotai. Now he only appears in the human realm to steal from those who are greedy and horrible, stealing the wealth for himself.

\-----------

Moana looked up when she felt a few drops of rain fall against her skin, "Ah, looks like it's going to rain again," She looked back to Tamatoa with a reassuring smile, "Better keep this safe, then," She said, offering to him the folded up drawing that she had snagged from the trap earlier.

He carefully accepted the paper before Moana hopped back on the boat. She carefully climbed from the big boat onto the smaller one with Asoese. He was a lot like a father, carefully watching to be sure Moana didn't fall and settled down before he began sailing the boat back to the island.

And then he was alone again. 

A drop of rain fell onto Tamatoa's head, and then on the corner of his paper. He couldn't let that happen, and tried to strategically hold the paper under himself so it would be protected. 

"Oh, best keep that dry!" Malia said.

He didn't say anything, but she took him towards the hut anyways. Inside were a few people playing some card game together. Tamatoa had come to recognize a few of them, though he didn't care to remember their names. 

They would all be passing faces to him, anyways.

Malia set Tamatoa down on the top of a barrel that held clean water inside. She then sat down to play cards with the others. One was the guy who had tried to hurt Moana, and Tamatoa didn't much like him. The other two were Malia's friends, and though Moana seemed to like them, the skinny guy was a little bit annoying.

The guy had short feathers growing on the side of his face and along his neck with cat eyes. He often scratched at the feathers and picked at them, which made annoying sounds. He also had a slender cat tail that thumped against the floor of the boat often. 

The other guy was bigger and more muscular and also less annoying. He was less mutated, only having small horns poking out of his hair and black claws. Malia also had her own mutations, pointed ears, cat-like eyes, and a sparse leopard spots on her skin.

Everyone ignored Tamatoa except for the skinny guy who smiled up at him, "I hear you like jokes," He said.

Tamatoa just turned away, not wanting to waste his time with this person.

"Do you like riddles too?" The guy persisted.

"He's not going to answer a riddle, dude," The big guy said.

"He might! You don't know!" The skinny guy said, his voice raising an octave.

Tamatoa unfolded the piece of paper, but he was looking at the wrong side. Instead of seeing his wondrous visage, there were scribbles. Words?

He hadn't read in a long time. Not many written letters made their way to Lalotai, nor were they usually interesting to him. It had been an immeasurable amount of time since he had read, but the skill still sat in the back of his mind. He squinted at the letters to try and muster up what they meant from deep in his memory.

T…..

A…..

His great deciphering was disrupted, however, when the guy tried speaking to him once again, "Here's a good one. A guy has 100 pebbles. He gives one son 10 pebbles and he gives the other guy 15 pebbles. What time is it?"

"That doesn't even make sense!" The big guy protested.

"It does!" He countered, "And Tamatoa can figure it out, you'll see. You're just mean."

Tamatoa just rolled his eyes and focused back on the smudged words. He didn't have time to speak with these people. Besides, the answer was so obvious. 

_ A quarter to two. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very different chapter this time around! Hope you likes this big reveal of sorts, as it's gonna have a lot of importance on things to come.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Bottlenose Dolphin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, stuff got a little crazy and I ended up rewriting the chapter at one point, haha. Anyway, I hope you like the new chapter and it makes up for the long wait! Lemmi know what you think c:

Moana couldn't sleep at all that night. She had too much banging around in her head. Maui was snoring away and Tamatoa- well, she didn't really know. She had already been worried Tamatoa would be lonely without her. Would he be more lonely now she was gone or would he just be used to it by now? Or maybe he wouldn't even care at all. It didn't matter which one it was, though, because all prospects made her sad considering what she had just learned.

"That's it?" Moana had asked, as if she hadn't just been given a barrage of information.

"I suppose not," Asoese said, looking to her, "Or else you would not be here, would you?"

Moana had so many questions, but she had a feeling Maui wasn't going to answer her. Would Tamatoa? Maybe. But he was on the boat and on second thought, he probably wouldn't say anything either. He was so quiet and personal about things now that he dominate the room, he probably would clam up right when she mentioned the legends.

Before she could even ask him, though, she had to deal with what was going on in Hauti.

Who were those two strange people and why was that girl, Mereli, so interested in Tamatoa? Maybe she just really liked his legends, but he was a monster, not a god or hero. Most people were afraid or hated monsters here, which made it even stranger to Moana that the woman was excited to see Tamatoa.

She nodded off a few times, but when Moana finally got out of her hammock, she was very tired. A villager came to collect her and Maui when the sun started to rise. When Maui was woken, though, he decided not to go to the meeting and slept in. Moana didn't blame him, he had been working so hard recently and barely got any sleep for days. She quickly scarfed down the breakfast provided and hurried to the massive hut she had been in last night.

It was absolutely packed by the time Moana arrived. Haphazardly organized rows of villagers were sat from wall to wall with a small aisle in the middle. Torches were ablaze to keep the hut lit, mounted on the support beams. Children were held in laps and they were crammed close in together. Some people had even climbed into the rafters or stood around the windows to listen in from the outside. Moana resigned herself to a seat in the back, but she didn't stay there long. 

"The chief wants you to sit in the front," A timid man said.

"Wha- me?" Moana asked.

The man gave a nod and Moana stood obediently. She walked up the middle aisle and felt all eyes on her. The scar on her calf felt like it was burning as she knew people must have noticed it and realised what she was. The rough texture had spread since when she found out she was infected. The more it spread, the more her skin aroubd the scar discolored to a light gray color. 

When she reached the front she looked on either side to find a spot. She didn't want to block the aisle, but there wasn't much space left. Moana shifted and scratched the scar with her other foot self consciously. She was about to resign herself to sitting in the aisle when Asoese called her name.

Moana's head snapped up to the crescent shaped table. Asoese gestured for her to sit next to him where a gap had been left between him and a young man. He couldn't be older than her, maybe even younger. Despite that, he still held a look of authority in his eyes like Asoese did.

Relieved, Moana made her way around the table to sit in her reserved spot. Next to Asoese, in the middle of everyone, was Chief Kyron. Next to him was the strange man and Mereli and then next to them was an old woman. Even though her hair as graying and wrinkles were starting to appear by her eyes and mouth, she looked fierce and like a force to be reckoned with.

"Moana, this is Kalieo," Asoese said. 

He pointed to the man to her right, and she gave him a smile, "It's nice to meet you," She said.

Kalieo looked at her absently for a moment before seeming to snap to reality, "Oh, yes, it is good to meet you too," He said, shaking Moana's hand 

His palm was sweaty, so Moana tried to casually wipe the sweat on her skirt.

"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous. This is my first time sitting at the table," Kalieo explained. His fingers tapped on the wooden table and his brows were furrowed.

"He will become chief, soon, when he is of age," Asoese said.

"Oh, my father is a chief too," Moana said, then felt a little dumb for saying so.

"Yeah, Mereli told me. Everyone knows probably. They know you're infected too," His voice cracked and he grimaced, his face gaining a tint of red.

"Excuse him, he's just nervous," Asoese said.

"Mereli told everyone?" Moana asked tentatively.

"Yes," Asoese said, though his voice lowered close to a whisper, "She seems to spread gossip like a wildfire."

Moana had an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Now everyone knew she was infected, if the scar wasn't sign enough. Not just that, but they knew she was a chief. Two sets of high expectations weighed on her as her eyes swept across the dozens of unrecognizable faces, so many of them seeming harsh and judging. 

Apparently her anxiety was obvious as Asoese placed a steady hand on her shoulder, "Courage. They're only people, like you and I. You've overcome worse already."

Moana took a slow breath to calm her nerves. The audience soon fell quiet as Kyron called their attention. He held his hand up in a way that reminded her a lot of how Asoese quieted his own crew. The hut was calm, eyes eagerly settled on the table of leaders.

"Now it's time to begin our trimonthly meeting of the archipelago. Today we have Nikora, Mereli, Aroha, Asoese, Moana, and Kalieo. Many new faces. Moana is visiting us from the island of Motonui, so please be accommodating to our honorable guest." Kyron explained.

He then went into talking about stuff Moana didn't have much interest in. Livestock and harvest yield. Resources and trade between the islands. Coming holidays and festivals.

Occasionally people from the audience would contribute. They would stand from their place in the crowd and speak their piece, ask questions, or challenge some fact. Moana was rather jealous of the level of organization, but she supposed she wasn't surprised. 

On the boat she had seen the sleek organization of these people. The transitions between shifts and the discipline of the crew was impressive. When they had fought the first flock of harpies the crew could manage on their own without having to be babysat.

Moana was jealous. As the meeting went on, she took mental notes on their systems. Perhaps her own village could be improved by what she learned. 

That's when Moana remembered why she had set out to sea in the first place. To learn how to fight and protect her village from monsters. She then started to really pay attention when they began speaking about said monsters.

"We will have to expand the fence to accommodate the larger farmland," Mereli said.

"Place lookouts around the location while the work is being done," Kalieo suggested, "The monsters may try to take advantage of the situation or wander in, not knowing any better."

Kyron gave a nod of approval, prompting a smile from Kalieo.

"That is interesting," Nikora, the older lady, spoke up, "We recently found a well kept part of our fence in disrepair. It was strange, though. No one had heard any noise or seen the damage while it was happening, which is surprising, seeing as it was absolutely torn to pieces. It was like one minute it was fine and the next, destroyed."

"Perhaps it happened over time, or there was a big event that happened that covered any noise made," Moana suggested, "Was there a big storm or celebration that had happened beforehand?"

Nikora didn't turn to face Moana, but her eyes moved and settled on her. A frown was etched into her stern face. She gave Moana a piercing glare and did not respond.

Kalieo spoke up, "Moana has a point."

"Well it isn't true. Do you forget we have guards who patrol the wall? The damage was quick and quiet enough to not grab their attention. It had to have been planned and not a coincidence," Nikora excused.

"Who would plan to destroy the wall? Everyone knows how important they are to keeping everyone safe and monsters would have been noticed most likely," Kyron said.

"Perhaps it was not planned by humans or monsters at all. I've never known an average monster to be intelligent enough to plan something so advanced and my people are very disciplined," Nikora said.

"I've recently found evidence that proves otherwise about the monsters. They are becoming more organized. We've even encountered average, normal monsters that can speak. You shouldn't underestimate a monster," Asoese said, ignoring whatever strange idea she was trying to imply.

Nikora gave Asoese the same glare Moana had received, "It would seem your days at sea have messed with your head. Monsters aren't intelligent. I've never met a speaking monster, only heard of them in legends. Perhaps it was a hallucination."

"It isn't," Moana butted in. It was hard for Moana to stuff down the anger welling up in her, but if she lost her composure she knew they wouldn't respect her, "I've spent several days in Lalotai and I've fought plenty of monsters. They talk, and think, just like us. Well maybe not just like us, but they can be intelligent."

A rumble of whispers rippled through the crowd and Nikora finally gave her a full acknowledgment. She wrinkled her nose and looked Moana up and down before waving her hand, "That must be a lie. You're only a child. Where did you find this one, Asoese?"

"I found Moana fighting a monster alongside Maui himself," Asoese said calmly.

The crowd spoke up again, though this time their excitement was evident. Moana was jealous of Asoese's relaxed tone, as she couldn't stop herself from sneering at Nikora, who leered right back at her. Kyron had to silence the crowd before the moved on.

"Both Moana and Asoese clearly have experience that we do not. They have both traveled much farther than most of us. We must trust their experiences, or die from our quarreling," Kyron said, "Let us move on."

"Interesting how the fence being destroyed correlated with the arrival of Asoese and his crew," Nikora said.

"We came back in time for the meeting, as has always happened," Asoese said.

"They also came from the entirely opposite side. I doubt they had time to sneak up, destroy the fence, sneak away, sail far out into the ocean so they wouldn't be detected, and then sail up to Hauti." Kalie pointed out.

"Very convenient timing," Nikora repeated.

"What motivation would we have to destroying the fence," Asoese clenched a fist under the table, his voice starting to strain, "Not only is it a waste of time, but some of us have family on that island. This conversation is entirely counter productive."

"Trying hard to convince us of that?" Mereli asked innocently.

Moana had almost forgotten about Mereli by that point. The fact that she only spoke up to mock Asoese made her angry and she gritted her teeth. From her right, Kalieo made a movement that made her pause, though. He raised a hand off the table slightly.

He was telling her to restrain herself.

"Stop it." Kyron said, his booming voice causing a hush to go through the room, "Moana and Asoese are not plotting against any of us. These two, and the rest of the infected, are still a part of our family, even if they must stay away until a cure is found. I will have no one throwing such accusations at a guest of mine, understood?"

"Understood," everyone at the table said.

"Now, Asoese, please tell us about what you've learned since your last visit," Kyron said.

"No new portals. I have noticed, however, that some of the older portals seemed to have expanded. I have also noticed that monsters are becoming more common in the portals," Asoese said.

"Could you explain these portals for anyone unfamiliar," Kyron said.

Asoese turned slightly towards the crowd and spoke clearly, "Out at sea we have encountered these strange portals. It is as if you cut out a different part of the world and just placed it out there. Everything is different. The ocean, the creatures, the weather. It is our conclusion that these portals lead to Lalotai, but we do not know why."

"That portal to the south of Mauko is definitely expanding. At night it's cold. We have to keep fires going, sleep under tapas, or wear the warmer clothes used for traveling up the mountain," Mereli said.

"This is concerning," Kyron said pensively, "Any ideas on how to counteract these problems?" 

"No," Asoese said 

"What do you do on that boat all day?" Nikora asked sharply, "You aren't sent out to be on a vacation the whole time. This is a pressing issue that we depend on you to solve, but you have made no progress."

"It is not for a lack of trying," Asoese said.

"Perhaps there is no way at all to stop the portals," Kalieo said, "Or perhaps we are looking in the wrong place."

"Where else can we find the answer?" Kyron asked.

"I do not know," He confessed, "But perhaps we can look in the past. Or look far away. Maybe we are looking for it so hard that we can't see the answer right in front of us."

"Isn't that new girl from far away?" Mereli asked.

"Yes, but she won't give us answers," Asoese said.

"But why?" Mereli asked innocently.

"We don't have these portals near where I live," Moana answered, "I had never even encountered a monster until very recently, and it wasn't until I was far away from Motonui in the first place."

"I find that strange," Nikora said, "No monsters? Ever since the Heart of Te Fiti was stolen there have been monsters. There have been monsters since before then, but I find it unlikely that you spent so long not knowing about monsters at all."

"Distance could play a large part in this," Kyron said, "We have had so little contact due to the distance between us, why isn't it believable?"

"It is strange for this girl from far away to show up in our great time of need. She is no god, nor a demigod. She doesn't claim to be sent by the gods either. That makes me not trust her." Nikora confessed.

"She arrives to us with Maui by her side," Asoese said.

"And Tamatoa," Mereli spoke up.

That got the audience's attention. There were many gasps and cries. Moana noticed Asoese lose his calm demeanor and glare at Mereli, who just shrugged as if she did not know what had gone wrong. Nikora crossed her arms and Kalieo began tapping his fingers on the table again. It was practically chaos before Chief Kyron took control again a few solid minutes later.

"Quiet," He demanded, "If you wish to speak, do so respectfully, and one at a time."

Many people stood up right away, some of them red faced and fuming. 

"Why did you bring  _ her  _ here if you knew she travels with a monster?" One gruff man shouted.

"Tamatoa has lost his power," Asoese explained, "He is no bigger than a normal crab and very easily managed."

"He is bad luck! He will come to steal from us and kill us all," A woman said in a wavering voice.

"Tamatoa is practically harmless as is. He could only take something if it's small and then you could catch him before he got away." Moana said, though she was starting to feel the pressure of the room bearing down on her.

More people spoke their grievances, and it started to blur together for Moana. Having all these angry, raging villagers looking down on her started to become too much. They looked at her with hate in their eyes and Moana feared they would rush forward to strike her.

Her heart began to beat fast and her breaths became quick and shallow. She clenched her shaking hands to try and keep their tremors under control. But the hate continued and she felt her surroundings constrict around her.

Suddenly she felt a cool hand on her shoulder and she looked to see Kalieo looking at her.

"Come with me," He said.

Then she was on her feet. He held tight onto her and led her out of an exit she had not noticed. A tapa hung behind Chief Kyron, but when Kalie moved it aside he revealed a threshold. He ushered Moana out and then began to run. 

Moana was shaky, but managed to keep up going on pure adrenaline. The village was mostly empty with everyone at the meeting except for some kids running around. Kalieo led her down to the beach where they skirted across the sand before they reached an outcropping of rocks.

Kalie climbed up and reached out to help Moana, but she followed easily without his assistance. They climbed across the rocks before Kalieo slipped through a narrow crevasse, beckoning Moana to follow. She hesitated, but the angry faces of the villagers resurfaced in her mind and prompted her to follow him. 

He had to take her hand to lead her further into the small cave. The floor was wet from ocean waves splashing on the rocks and seeping into the cave. It wasn't long before they were in a larger area where she could have some breathing room and Kalieo prompted her to sit. 

It was dark for a moment before Kalieo lit a torch. A small bundle of food and water was stored away on top of rocky ledge to keep them dry. Torches were also hid away in a dry corner, making Moana wonder how often Kalie stayed her.

"Sometimes it's easier to be away from everyone," Kalieo said. He eyed her carefully, worry evident on his face.

Moana sat on a rock and took in a few careful breaths. She was okay. She was calm. No one was going to hurt her. Asoese wouldn't let them. Maui wouldn't let them. She was safe.

"It helps to talk," Kalieo said, "My dad and I used to name all the animals we knew."

She grasped the tassels on her skirt to stead her hands. In a shaking voice she choked out, "Coconut crab."


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Bull Shark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhhhh, been a while! So sorry, but I lost interest here for a good while. I kinda felt like I wrote myself into a corner and moved on to other stuff. I don't want to make any big promises, but I think I've got a good grip on what I want to write next and a good bit of motivation!
> 
> I may have to reaatch the movie to really get the characters right again, so I hope they aren't too off in the chapter! Also, illustrations may be a bit more sparse from here on, sorry!

Moana jolted upright when she heard footsteps approaching the crevasse. The sliver of light that trickled in was blocked out a moment as a silhouette squeezed through the gap. There was a scraping as the person came into the cave. Like a blade against the rocks Moana thought, and a new surge of adrenaline burst through her.

She was ready to run, but was suddenly calmed when she recognized the weathered, one-eyed face of Asoese. How had he known about the cave? She didn't have time to ask him, though, as Asoese was furious.

"I cannot believe her," He hissed, "I cannot believe she would instigate like that. She acted innocent, but she knew- she knew what reaction that would get."

Moana had never seen Asoese lose his composure like that and it made her unsettled. The man paced around the small cave like a caged beast. He grumbled to himself for a moment before letting out a new burst of anger ranting.

"I did my best. I did. Half the village hates her now, but that's better than all of them. I should have let her stay on the boat. It's my fault," Asoese said to himself aloud. 

"It's not your fault," Kalieo said tentatively, "You couldn't have anticipated this."

"But I did," Asoese said, stopping his pacing to settle his gaze on Kalieo and Moana noted how much more imposing he was compared to the young man, "I suspected she would try something to cause an upheaval, to bring the attention away from herself. I should have guessed this would have happened. I should have-"

It was like Asoese had only then realized Moana was in the cave with him. 

He turned around and bowed his head, "I am so sorry this happened. I should have given you a better warning of what could have, and has, happened."

Then he hugged her and Moana felt like she was far away, at home with her father. It was like everything else had been a long, horrible nightmare and she was back at home waking up from a nightmare. No monsters. No angry villagers. But then she had to let go and come back to reality where she was hiding in a dark, damp cave with two strangers.

"Kalieo. When Mereli was spreading rumors did she say anything else strange about Moana? Anything related to Tamatoa?" Asoese asked.

"No, she only said she was a chief from far away and that she had been bitten by a monster," Kalieo said.

"It must have been planned then. Wait until everyone was riled up and drop it on them," Asoese said. "You running away didn't really help, either."

"I'm sorry," Moana said, and she really did mean it. If she knew her appearance would cause such a stir she would have stayed on the boat, or slept in like Maui had.

"Don't apologize," Asoese said, lowering his voice.

"You can't apologize for what you can't control, that's what he always says to me," Kalieo said.

Moana nodded, but then she realized something. 'That's what he always says to me', like how his dad played that game where they would list the animals to calm down. Moana looked from Asoese to Kalieo and realized that, though Asoese had been mutated by the monster infection, they looked strikingly similar. 

"You're his father," Moana said.

They both nodded.

Moana wanted to ask if that meant Asoese was once chief, but she thought that may be a tentative subject for him.

"Come, I can bring you back to the boat now. Mereli wouldn't bother pestering you out there, nor any of the other villagers," Asoese said.

Moana stood to follow, but hesitated. Going to the boat would be like quitting. She said she would help Asoese with the whole Mereli situation, and though the panic attack had left her feeling weak and tired, she still wanted to hold up to her word.

"I do not want to go," Moana confessed.

Asoese raised a brow.

"I can handle this. I can overcome it. I've overcome greater things and like you said, they're only people. I've fought monsters and won. I can do this," Moana said.

As she spoke she felt herself straighten. The shaking in her hands, which had already calmed, went away completely. Not just that, but she felt in control again. She wasn't staying on the island because she had nowhere to go. Moana was on the island because she was here to find out what was wrong with that strange woman and to help the infected crew find a cure. 

"But listen to me. If you ever need me or you ever need to leave, I will be there for you."

"So will I. It may not be as suspicious to those people if you're around me," Kalieo added.

Moana smiled and nodded, "Thanks, I'll remember that."

"Now. Let's go back into town. I'm sure your friend may be looking for you by now," Asoese said.

Back in the village, both Asoese and Kalieo were quickly called away on important business. They promised to return as soon as possible, but Moana didn't mind. Her little episode would be a one time thing, right? She had only had a panic attack one time before and it had been several years ago. She would be okay when she got used to the new surroundings and could be around Maui again.

When she walked around the village she immediately noticed the uneasy, and sometimes even malicious, looks she received. Many people shifted away from her as she walked by. Despite that, there still were others who didn't seem to hate her. Some were curious and gave her smiles or waves. Some were even sympathetic glances. Moana was ready to turn the village upside down in search for Maui, but she didn't have to.

As always, he was creating quite the scene.

A crowd had gathered around to watch Maui dramatically recount a story of fighting some monster centuries ago. He was stood on a tree stump, making him loom even further over his audience. Moana had to admit, he was quite the story teller. His voice lowered to a whisper, people leaning in to hear every word, then he erupted with waving arms and wide eyes to deliver the impact. 

Maui spun around on the stump before shapeshifting into a hawk and swooping over the crowd, getting a few excited squeals from the children. He shapeshifted back midair, landing on the stump with a thud. Moana swore she heard the wood splinter, but he kept on, unaware. 

When Maui finished his story many of the crowd jumped to their feet, excited. He was then swarmed with adoring fans, eager to ask questions and get a closer look at his famous tattoos. Maui stood up straight, beaming with that overly pleased smirk that showed he loved the attention. He was busy flexing for a villager when Moana tried to get his attention.

"One moment, Small Fry," Maui said, waving Moana away absentminded.

"It's important. It'll only take a second," Moana insisted, having to step back as someone squeezed in front of her.

"Yeah? How important?" Maui asked, though his attention was on a woman who gushed over his heroism.

"Kinda important," Moana said. 

"Ah. I know you. If it really was important you would have said so and you would have had that angry look," Maui said as if he had caught Moana in some grand lying scheme, "Don't worry, I'll be free in a sec. Just give me a moment." Maui then picked up a little girl and tossed her a few feet in the air, earning an excited scream. 

"Maui," She said desperately and he finally looked at her with full attention.

She must have looked off because he immediately set down the child and pushed his way out of the crowd, ignoring their protests. His brow was furrowed and he leaned down a bit as he came close to her and gently asked, "What's wrong? What happened."

Now that Maui's attention was on her, so was everyone else's and Moana felt that anxiety build up in her again. But she took in a steady breath and calmed her nerves, "Can I speak with you? Privately?"

“Yeah, sure,” Maui said. 

They weren’t too far from the edge of town where the treeline began and no villagers were nearby to eavesdrop. Maui began walking to the more private area upon Moana’s request, though another one of his fans stepped in the way. The woman opened her mouth to speak but Maui absentmindedly shoved her aside, rudely shoving his hand in her face with a quick “Excuse me”. The lady didn’t seem to mind, but didn’t follow. Thankfully no one did and Moana had the privacy she wanted.

“Okay, so, I don’t remember what all you know or remember, so I’m gonna just sort of say all of it, okay?” Moana prefaced.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Maui said, though he was distracted by trying to pick up a fallen coconut with his foot and kick it into his hand.

“Maui! This is a serious issue.” Moana insisted.

Maui kicked the coconut into his hand perfectly then leaned over a bit, putting on a serious look and giving Moana his full attention.

“Okay. So you remember that creepy girl from when we had dinner the first night here?” Moana asked.

“Uh huh.”

“So you know she’s super creepy and was all interested in Tamatoa. Well it turns out Asoese and another person in his crew think she’s super suspicious too. From what I understand she was basically a nobody but then suddenly now she’s acting chief of Mauko because their current one is sick. And she’s just been acting strange in general.”

“What a weirdo.”

“I was just thinking that since we’re such an amazing team and you’re so big and smart that we could figure out what’s up with her before she does anything evil, if that’s what she is wanting to do.”

The flattery works, as Maui stands up straighter and smiles to himself. He had once criticized Tamatoa for being egotistical, but he himself wasn’t above it. 

“I see. Of course you’d ask me for help, as I am the most capable to carry out such a monumental task. Much more than your friend. Speaking of-” Maui made a big show of looking all around Moana, “Where did that little monster go?”

Moana withheld a sigh, “He didn’t like being in the trap so I took him back to the boat with the rest of the crew.”

“Yeah, I forgot he didn't like being trapped like that,” Maui said absently as he tapped his fingers on the coconut, “So where is that chick then?”

“Umm, I don’t actually know,” She was in that big hut last time I saw her, and she’s kind of a chief, so she’s probably doing something important.”

“She’s coming here right now,” Maui said as he focused his sights on something behind her.

Moana turned to see that Mereli was, indeed, coming their way. She turned around fully and stood beside Maui, though she didn’t hide behind him. Mereli wasn’t very scary alone. Or, well, kind of alone. That other guy was still following her.

“Hello Maui. Moana.” Mereli greeted with a wide smile that didn’t entirely meet her eyes.

“Need us for something?” Moana asked evenly.

“Yes, actually.” Mereli cheered, clasping her hands together, "Would you like to go on a hunt with us?"

Moana narrowed her eyes, "Who all is going?"

"We'd love to go!" Maui butted in. He slung an arm over Moana's shoulders and leaned against her, nearly causing her to fall over.

"Aroha and I, of course, plus you two heroes. Then Kalieo and Chief Nikora will be going with a few of her own people." Mereli said.

"Sounds like a good team," Maui said, "And what are we hunting."

"A monster, of course!" Mereli said. "One of the scouts here saw a monster prowling about a bit too close for comfort. It's a cute little leopard creature, but it's likely there may be a few others out and about if it's true that monsters are starting to organize themselves."

"Right, then we'll certainly help out. Moana here's had a lot of practice fighting recently, time to put that all to the test," Maui said.

"We will be meeting at the eastern gate at noon," Aroha stated shortly. 

"Not long from now, so be ready!" Mereli called as the two turned and walked away. 

Alone again, Maui patted Moana on the back. "If you want to figure out what's up with her and don't want to wake up stabbed to death one day, then try to get along."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the chapter was actually written before the big ol break. I re read some of the old chapters to refresh my mind aaaaand yikes. Didn't proof read so well and just in general not being so good in some parts.
> 
> Since then I've written quite a bit, so perhaps I will be able to deliver better work for you all c: can't wait to hear what you think!


End file.
